Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama

Panama: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 32.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
32.7%
World rank
25th
of 180 countries
All-time high
32.7%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 0 %2000: 0 %2005: 0 %2010: 29.7 %2015: 30.3 %2020: 32.7 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama stood at 32.7%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama peaked at 32.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Panama 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 0.0%
1955 0.0%
1960 0.0%
1965 0.0%
1970 0.0%
1975 0.0%
1980 0.0%
1985 0.0%
1990 0.0%
1995 0.0%
2000 0.0%
2005 0.0%
2010 29.7%
2015 30.3% +2.0%
2020 32.7% +7.8%

Panama compared with similar countries

  • Panama's 32.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 15.3%, 2.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Panama's 32.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 25.6%, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2010s 30.0% 29.7% 30.3% 2
2020s 32.7% 32.7% 32.7% 1

Countries ranked near Panama

  1. 22 Colombia 35.4% compare
  2. 23 Liberia 34.3% compare
  3. 24 Chile 33.9% compare
  4. 26 Indonesia 32.5% compare
  5. 27 Angola 32.3% compare
  6. 28 Ghana 32.1% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Panama

All data for Panama →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama was 32.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Panama?
The highest recorded value was 32.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Panama?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Panama rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Panama ranks 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Panama?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Panama data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Panama. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/urban-agglomerations-1-million-percent/panama/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.