Demographics of Panama

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Panama, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population

Demographics of Panama, Data of FAO, year 2005; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

According to the 2013 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 3,678,000 in 2010, compared to only 860,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 29%, 64.5% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6.6% was 65 years or older .^[1]

More than half the population lives in the Panama City-Colón metropolitan corridor. Panama City was enriched by the past century of American influences in terms of additions to the country's Latin culture, economics (the US was involved in development of roads, schools and medical care), and international trade by the nearby Panama Canal, once was under US jurisdiction: the Canal Zone territory from 1903 to 1979.

Bocas del Toro

Coclé

Colón

Chiriquí

Darién

Herrera

Los Santos

Panamá

Veraguas

West Panamá

Kuna Yala

Emberá-Wounaan No 1

Emberá-Wounaan No 2

Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca

Madugandí

Wargandí

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Panama not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. ^[1]

Ethnic and racial origins

The culture, customs, and language of Panama is predominantly Caribbean Spanish. Panama has a very diverse population which is largely of mixed Spanish, Native American, and African descent/ancestry. 63% is Mestizo (mixed white, Native American), 15% is primarily black and mulattoes, 12% white and 10% Native Americans.

Immigration

Immigration to Panama are represented by ethnic groups in the 19th and 20th centuries: British and Irish, Dutch, French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians or Ukrainians (a large number are Jews), U.S. Americans and West Indies/Caribbean (esp. Afro-Caribbean) nationalities, in which thousands of Barbadian and Jamaican workers played a role in the construction of the Panama Canal. Also important was the immigration of Arabs and Asians: in particular Chinese, Lebanese, Palestinians, South Asians (from India and Pakistan) and Syrians.

Languages

Many languages, including seven indigenous languages, are spoken in Panama, although Spanish is the official and dominant language. English is sometimes spoken by many professionals and those working in the business or governmental sectors of society.

Religion

The majority of Panamanians are Christian, most are Roman Catholics by centuries of Spanish colonial influence. Other faiths exist in Panama by the country's tolerance and freedom of religion, there are large Protestant, Jewish, Bahá'í, Muslim and Hindu religious groups in Panama.

• Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 17% and other religions about 5%.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.

See also

• Panama
• Ethnic groups in Central America

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