Panama: country facts, travel advice and health

The go-to app for messages and calls with locals and other travellers.A less common alternative for messaging.Cheap internet calls to numbers back home.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are both widely used, so carry some of each.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Panama

Panamanian Balboa · PAB

Carry small notes: many shops refuse US$50 and US$100 bills outright.

Credit-card ATM withdrawals usually cost about $5.25 each, so take out larger sums less often.

From Tocumen airport, the bus to the main terminal is far cheaper than a taxi into town.

Ask locals the bus fare first and hand over the exact amount instead of asking the driver.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Panamanian Balboa in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Wed, 4 Nov 2026 · Flag Day

Thu, 5 Nov 2026 · Colon Day Colón Day

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 · Shout in Villa de los Santos

Sat, 28 Nov 2026 · Independence Day

Tue, 8 Dec 2026 · Mother's Day

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Año Nuevo

Sat, 9 Jan 2027 · Martyrs' Day Día de los Mártires

Mon, 8 Feb 2027 · Carnival Monday Lunes de Carnaval

Tue, 9 Feb 2027 · Carnival Tuesday Martes de Carnaval

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday Viernes Santo

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Día del Trabajo

Wed, 3 Nov 2027 · Separation Day Separación de Panamá de Colombia

Thu, 4 Nov 2027 · Flag Day Día de los Símbolos Patrios

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Panama say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 18 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 9 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Strangers trying to enter your lodging

Don't let people you don't know into your lodging; call the police if something feels off.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A and B, typhoid; yellow fever east of the Canal Zone; malaria and altitude in parts.

Vaccinations

Keep routine shots up to date; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised, and yellow fever for mainland areas east of the Canal Zone such as Darién.

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Altitude sickness can affect visitors in some parts of the country.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Panama City

Modern centre, older town and colonial quarter to explore.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Panama is often named as the country with the most bird species, with close to 900 recorded.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: National anthem of Panama. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

5 World Heritage sites in Panama, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $90.5 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $19,790Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	copper ore, ships, refined petroleum, bananas, fish (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	4.6 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	31.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	79.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2023 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	75,420 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hillsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+507Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).