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Panama
Republic of Panama · Central America
At a glance
CapitalPanama City
Most common first languageSpanishmother tongue
Official languageSpanish
CurrencyUnited States dollar
Drives on theright
Highest pointVolcan Baru3,475 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfood74% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports52%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.pa
Facts about Panama
Panama has used the US dollar as its official currency for longer than any other.
Source: cpsi.media · checked 2026-08-08Panama by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 4.57m (2025) | 128th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $90.5bn (2025) | 82nd of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 74.2k km² (2023) | 116th of 209 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $38.4bn (2024) | 75th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 6.98m (2023) | 112th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 41.8k km² (2023) | 74th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 21.9k km² (2023) | 115th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 12 Mt (2024) | 101st of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 3.02m (2025) | 123rd of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 79.8 years (2024) | 52nd of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $19,790 (2025) | 71st of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 72.8% (2024) | 118th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | -0.2% (2025) | 173rd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 8.4% (2025) | 50th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 66.2% (2025) | 97th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 2.11 (2024) | 96th of 209 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 83.7% of GDP (2024) | 87th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 2.71 t (2024) | 96th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.839 (2023) | 59th of 193 |
Land borders
Panama shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has spanish as its most common first language 19Has spanish as an official language 20Uses the united states dollar 12Mainly exports food 47Earns most of its export income from services 48Is in central america 7
Panama in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Panama.
Which country has used the US dollar as its official currency for longer than any other?
Panama gave up its own currency in 1904, the year after gaining independence with US backing, trading monetary sovereignty for the dollar's credibility and low inflation. Without a domestic central bank, it can't devalue its way out of a downturn or set its own interest rates. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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