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News > Panama

Overall Poverty Rate in Panama Affects Over One Million People

  • Panama is the third most unequal country in Latin America, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Nov. 11, 2022.

    Panama is the third most unequal country in Latin America, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Nov. 11, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@DianaZe3286

Published 11 November 2022
Opinion

Currently, 1 in 4 Panamanians is poor, with an overall poverty rate of 25 percent affecting 1.1 million.

These data are provided by Panama Without Poverty Initiative in its "Annual Report on Poverty and Extreme Poverty in Panama," updated this month.

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The report projects that with an average annual decrease in poverty levels in the country of -0.1, by 2030, the total reduction would reach 24.5 percent, impacting over 1.2 million people in the country.

As for extreme poverty levels, the report notes that there is an average annual reduction of -0.03 percentage points; by 2030, the reduction will reach 10.3 percent, thereby affecting over 500 000 people.

Data showing that 1 in 10 Panamanians is indigent or in extreme poverty contrast with World Bank statistics indicating a 15 percent growth rate in the country. The number of people currently living in extreme poverty in Panama reaches 10.6 percent or more than 464 000 Panamanians. 

According to the 'Annual Report on Poverty and Extreme Poverty in Panama,' issued by Panama Without Poverty Initiative and updated in November 2022, 1 in 4 Panamanians is poor. Today, the general poverty rate in Panama after Covid-19 is estimated at 25.0%

According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the country, with a population of 4.3 million inhabitants, is the third most unequal country in Latin America. The capital, Panama City, has the highest level of inequality in the country.

37.3 percent of the national income goes to the wealthiest population, representing 10 percent of the total. This means that they receive 13 times more than the poorest 40 percent.

Panama Without Poverty Initiative noted that Afro-descendants, women, and rural populations are the most affected by these figures. They indicated that 90 percent of the inhabitants of rural communities live in poverty. 

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