Country import demand

Panama
import demand

A reported view of Panama's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

PAN1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$56.2B2024 reported
Import growth+8.8%Year on year
Population4.5MReported population
GDP per capita$19.2KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness84.5%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Panama import?

In 2024, Panama recorded $56.2B in reported imports. Imports changed +8.8% year on year and +10.5% annualized over three years. Ships and boats was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$54.7B
2014
$47.0B
2015
$35.8B
2016
$31.3B
2017
$34.5B
2018
$37.8B
2019
$38.4B
2020
$32.6B
2021
$41.6B
2022
$58.7B
2023
$51.6B
2024
$56.2B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$86.5B2024 macro context
GDP growth4.4%Five-year CAGR
Population growth1.3%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate37.8%National rate
Savings rate37.6%National rate
Trade openness84.5%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Panama
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Ships and boatsHS2 89$7.7B13.6%4417
2Electrical machineryHS2 85$2.3B4.1%98262
3Mineral fuelsHS2 27$20.3B36.1%6840
4Fish and crustaceansHS2 03$40.1M0.1%34193
5Edible fruit and nutsHS2 08$86.9M0.2%3966
6MachineryHS2 84$3.2B5.7%100515
7Pharmaceutical productsHS2 30$1.5B2.7%7841
8HS2 sector 99HS2 99$5.4B9.5%101
9Precious stones and metalsHS2 71$337.3M0.6%5845
10FootwearHS2 64$709.3M1.3%7825

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration571.1Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share35.1%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets44Reported count
Average distance9,853 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3PAN
Exports Usd$4.8B
Imports Usd$56.2B
Trade Balance Usd-$51.4B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-26%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct8.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-10.6%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct10.5%
Export Partner Hhi571.1
Export Product Hhi149.8
Momentum Score-21.4
Risk Score3.6
Gdp Million Usd86,524 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$19.2K
Population4,515,577
Labor Force2,258.4
Investment Rate Pct37.8%
Savings Rate Pct37.6%
Secondary Education Pct73.5%
Tertiary Education Pct26.2%
Total Factor Productivity1,018.9
Trade Openness Pct84.5%
Exports Gdp Pct6.6%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners44
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners2%
Num Shared Language Partners24%
Avg Partner Distance Km9,853 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta16
Pct Partners Shared Language8.9%
Pct Partners Shared Border0.7%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km9,642 km
Num Border Partners60
Num Colonial Partners30
Avg Substitution Elasticity-9.1
Pct Products High Elasticity71.7
Pct Products Low Elasticity3.3
Real Market Potential87,694.6
Foreign Market Potential9,528.3

Supplier context

Country Iso3PAN
All History Lane Count6,686
Current Lane Count2,002
Critical Lane Count11
High Attention Lane Count248
High Volatility Lane Count1,189
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count929
Declining Demand Lane Count5
Concentrated Market Lane Count1,152
Access Friction Lane Count200
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count60
Monitored Exports Current Usd$3.8B
Attention Exports Usd$2.1B
Critical Exports Usd$583.8M
High Volatility Exports Usd$2.1B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$1.2B
Non Fta Exports Usd$1.8B
Monitored Attention Share Pct57.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct15.6%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct53%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct28.7%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,389 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$4.8B
Total Imports Latest Usd$56.2B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$51.4B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-26%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-10.6%
Gdp Latest Million Usd86,524 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$19.2K
Population Latest4,515,577
Investment Rate Latest Pct37.8%
Savings Rate Latest Pct37.6%
Trade Openness Latest Pct84.5%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct6.6%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest44
Foreign Market Potential Latest9,528.3
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4.4%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct3.1%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.3%
Partner Hhi Latest571.1
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct15.9%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct35.1%
Partner Hhi All Avg598.6
Partner Hhi All Max845.5
Product Hhi Latest149.8
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct4.7%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct13.2%
Product Hhi All Avg436.8
Product Hhi All Max1,910.3
Total Exports Attention Share Pct45%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct12.2%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$15.8B$2.5B-$13.3B+0%
1996$16.1B$2.5B-$13.6B+1.7%
1997$16.3B$2.3B-$14.0B+1.6%
1998$15.5B$2.0B-$13.5B-4.9%
1999$16.5B$2.1B-$14.4B+6.2%
2000$16.2B$2.3B-$13.9B-1.9%
2001$14.2B$2.8B-$11.3B-12.5%
2002$13.4B$2.8B-$10.7B-5.1%
2003$15.3B$3.0B-$12.4B+14.3%
2004$18.7B$3.2B-$15.5B+21.7%
2005$21.9B$4.0B-$18.0B+17.4%
2006$27.2B$8.0B-$19.1B+23.8%
2007$33.3B$8.4B-$24.9B+22.7%
2008$45.6B$9.5B-$36.1B+36.8%
2009$39.9B$9.5B-$30.4B-12.5%
2010$54.0B$9.8B-$44.1B+35.3%
2011$59.5B$12.5B-$47.0B+10.2%
2012$65.0B$11.5B-$53.6B+9.3%
2013$54.7B$10.7B-$43.9B-15.9%
2014$47.0B$9.6B-$37.5B-14%
2015$35.8B$8.6B-$27.3B-23.8%
2016$31.3B$7.7B-$23.5B-12.7%
2017$34.5B$7.8B-$26.7B+10.4%
2018$37.8B$7.6B-$30.2B+9.6%
2019$38.4B$7.7B-$30.7B+1.6%
2020$32.6B$6.1B-$26.5B-15.2%
2021$41.6B$6.7B-$34.9B+27.7%
2022$58.7B$6.8B-$51.9B+41.1%
2023$51.6B$6.5B-$45.2B-12.1%
2024$56.2B$4.8B-$51.4B+8.8%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
189Ships and boats$7.7B13.6%4417
285Electrical machinery$2.3B4.1%98262
327Mineral fuels$20.3B36.1%6840
403Fish and crustaceans$40.1M0.1%34193
508Edible fruit and nuts$86.9M0.2%3966
684Machinery$3.2B5.7%100515
730Pharmaceutical products$1.5B2.7%7841
899HS2 sector 99$5.4B9.5%101
971Precious stones and metals$337.3M0.6%5845
1064Footwear$709.3M1.3%7825

Questions about this profile

Panama import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Panama import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Panama.

What is the latest reported import value for Panama?

Panama recorded $56.2B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Panama's imports?

Ships and boats leads by reported import value at $7.7B.

How many years of Panama import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.