CAPITAL: Panama City, pop. 424,204 (1984 est.)
LANGUAGE: Spanish
POPULATION: Total- 2,200,000 (1985)
Annual growth: 2.2% (48,400) (1980- 85)
Doubling time: 32 yrs.
Urban: 52% (est. for year 2000: 67%)
Rural: 48%
AGE GROUPS: (1980)
12.9% less than 5 yrs.
39.1% less than 15
50.3% less than 20
28.8% from 20 to 39
14.0% from 40 to 59
6.7% 60 yrs. and over
ETHNIC GROUPS
Mestizo: 70% (mixed)
Antillean: 14% (blacks)
White: 9%
Indian: 7%
FAMILY
Marital status, for population 15 yrs. and older: (1980)
Single: 28%
Married: 28%
Common-law: 28%
Widowed: 6%
Separated from husband or partner: 9%
Divorced: 1.2%
Female head of household: 21% (1980)
Fertility rate: 3.3 (1985)
Births out of wedlock: 71% (1980)
Teenage births: 21% (1981)
Contraception: 61% (1984)
Government’s position on family planning: Considers the rate of population growth to be satisfactory and feels that there is no need for intervention.
SOCIAL INDICATORS
Life expectancy: 72 yrs. (male: 69; female: 73) (1985)
Infant mortality: 25/1,000 births (1985)
Crude birth rate: 27/1,000 pop. (1985)
Crude death rate: 5/1,000
Health:
Access to health services: 81% (1980- 83)
Births attended by trained health personnel: 83% (rural: 65%) (1984)
HOUSING
Persons per household: 4.9 (1984)
Electricity: 35% without (1980)
Access to safe water: 62% (urban: 97%; rural: 26%) (1983)
Source of water: (1980)
Piped inside: 45%
Piped outside: 31%
Not piped: 25%
Toilet facilities: (1980)
Flush: 44%
Other: 44%
None: 12%
Building materials: (1980)
Concrete: 51%
Wood: 26%
Adobe: 10%
EDUCATION
Straw, cane, and other: 13%
Dirt floor: 21%
Literacy: 86% (male: 86%; female: 85%) (1980)
Gross enrollment ratio: (1983- 84)
First level: 105% (completing in 1980-84: 73%)
Second: 59%
Third: 25%
Educational attainment, for population 25 yrs. + : (1980)
None: 17%
First level: incomplete: 27% (complete: 23%)
Second: entered: 12%
Third: 8%
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Economically active population: 32% (male: 46%; female: 18%) (1980)
Agriculture: 26% act. pop.; 10% of GDP
Mines: 0% act. pop.; 0% of GDP
Industry: 18% act. pop.; 21% of GDP
Services: 56% act. pop.; 69% of GDP
Per capita GNP: 2,100 U.S.$ (1985)
Population in absolute poverty: (1977-84)
Urban: 21%
Rural: 30%
National currency/per U.S.$: 1.00 balboa (1985)
Principal resources: Bananas, sugar
COMMUNICATIONS
Radio:
Transmitters: 93 (1977)
Receivers: 335,000- 160/1,000 pop. (1983)
Television:
Transmitters: 10 (1977)
Receivers: 255,000- 122/1,000 pop. (1983)