Panama Culture, Panama People... a Glorious Mix!

People of Panama - Composition

Mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%
Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%
White 10%
Indian 6%

Religious Composition
Roman Catholic 85%
Protestant 15%

Languages Spoken
Spanish (official), and English are widely spoken. Many Panamanians are bilingual.

Education and Literacy
Education is free and compulsory for children ages 7 through 15. Fees may be charged for higher education. Nearly 91 percent of the population can read and write.

Labor Force
Total: 1.1 million (2000)

By occupation:
Agriculture 20.8%
Industry 18%
Services 61.2%

Panama People: Demographic statistics

Population
2,882,329 (July 2002)

Age structure (2002)
0-14 years: 29.6%
male 433,494
female 418,120

15-64 years: 64.3%
male 939,550
female 914,646

65 years and over: 6.1%
male 84,130
female 92,389

Growth Rate
1.26% (2002)

Life Expectancy
75.89 years (2002)

female: 78.74 years
male: 73.14 years

GDP Per Capita
Purchasing power parity
US$5,900 (2001)

Infant Mortality
19.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female

Net migration rate
-1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor