Panama--People

CIA FactbookThe World Factbook 1993: Panama People

Population: 2,579,047 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.98% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 25.08 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 4.94 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.56 years male: 71.99 years female: 77.27 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality: noun: Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian

Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%

Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

Languages: Spanish (official), English 14%

note: many Panamanians bilingual

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 88% male: 88% female: 88%

Labor force: 921,000 (1992 est.)

by occupation: government and community services 31.8%, agriculture, hunting, and fishing 26.8%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16.4%, manufacturing and mining 9.4%, construction 3.2%, transportation and communications 6.2%, finance, insurance, and real estate 4.3%

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