Panama is often described as a Catholic country, and historically that description makes sense. Spanish colonization brought Roman Catholicism to the isthmus more than 500 years ago, and Catholic traditions became deeply woven into Panamanian culture, holidays, family life and public celebrations. But modern Panama is considerably more religiously diverse than the old stereotype suggests. Today you will find Catholics, Evangelical Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Baháʼís, Orthodox Christians, Rastafarians, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses and Indigenous spiritual traditions, as well as a growing number of Panamanians who say they have no religion.
One reason it is difficult to give one definitive percentage breakdown is that different surveys have produced noticeably different results. Panama does not maintain a single comprehensive official religious census, and surveys ask questions in different ways. A 2022 National Institute of Statistics and Census survey, for example, found approximately 65% Catholic, 22% Evangelical, 6% with no religion and 4% belonging to another religion.
A separate 2023 survey produced a dramatically different picture, reporting 52.1% Evangelical, 33.4% Catholic, 10.1% with no religion, with smaller percentages identifying with particular Protestant denominations or giving no answer. This enormous difference is important because it demonstrates why religious statistics for Panama should be treated as estimates rather than absolute measurements.
Catholicism remains a major part of Panamanian culture
Roman Catholicism has been the traditional dominant religion in Panama. Catholic churches can be found throughout the country, from enormous churches in Panama City to tiny rural churches in mountain communities and coastal villages.
Catholic influence is particularly visible during important celebrations. Christmas, Holy Week, Easter and local patron saint festivals are often accompanied by religious processions, decorations, music and community gatherings. Even Panamanians who are not particularly observant may participate in traditions that have Catholic origins simply because those traditions have become part of the country's cultural identity.
This distinction between religious identity and religious practice is important. Someone might describe themselves as Catholic because they were raised Catholic, have Catholic parents or were baptized Catholic without necessarily attending Mass every Sunday. The same phenomenon occurs in many predominantly Christian countries around the world.
Panama's Catholic heritage is therefore much larger than simply the number of people sitting inside churches on Sunday morning.
Evangelical Christianity has become increasingly important
One of the most interesting developments in Panama's religious landscape has been the growth and visibility of Evangelical Christianity.
Evangelical Christianity is not a single denomination. It includes many different churches and traditions, including Pentecostal and other Protestant movements. Some have relatively traditional services, while others have energetic music, large congregations and highly contemporary worship.
The growth of Evangelical churches is one reason recent surveys can look so different from older statistics. Historical estimates often showed Catholicism overwhelmingly ahead of Protestant Christianity. More recent surveys indicate a much larger Evangelical population, although the exact size varies considerably depending on the methodology.
Walk around some Panamanian communities and you can see this change physically. Alongside the traditional Catholic church there may be several Evangelical congregations, sometimes meeting in relatively modest buildings, storefronts or purpose built churches.
Evangelical Christianity is particularly visible in many urban and working class communities, although it is certainly not restricted to them.
Panama's smaller religions make the country more diverse than it first appears
Catholics and Evangelicals dominate the numbers, but Panama has a surprisingly broad collection of smaller religious communities.
The Jewish community is one of the country's most established religious minorities. Jewish leaders have estimated the community at around 15,000 people, with a large concentration in Panama City.
Panama also has a Muslim community. Estimates cited by the U.S. Department of State put the combined Shia and Sunni Muslim population at approximately 14,000, with communities particularly associated with Panama City, Colón and Penonomé. The same source notes that Shia Muslims are primarily of Lebanese origin, while Sunni Muslims include people of Arab and Pakistani origin.
This makes sense when you consider Panama's history as a crossroads. The country has spent centuries attracting merchants, immigrants, workers and travelers from different parts of the world. The Panama Canal era accelerated that international character dramatically.
The Canal helped create an unusually international religious environment
The Panama Canal was not simply an engineering project. It transformed Panama into one of the most internationally connected countries in the Americas.
Workers arrived from the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and North America, bringing their languages, cultures and religions with them. Some communities became particularly established in Panama City and the Canal Zone, while others developed around Colón and other commercial centers.
That history helps explain why a relatively small country can contain such a variety of religious institutions.
You can find Christian denominations that arrived through European and North American missionary traditions, Jewish communities connected to international commerce, Muslim communities connected to Middle Eastern and South Asian migration, Buddhist and Hindu traditions associated with Asian communities, and a variety of smaller religious movements.
It is one of those aspects of Panama that becomes much more obvious once you spend time outside the standard tourist route.
Indigenous spirituality is an entirely different part of the story
Long before Catholicism or Protestant Christianity arrived, Indigenous peoples living in what is now Panama had their own spiritual traditions.
Those traditions have not simply disappeared.
Among Panama's Indigenous peoples are spiritual systems associated with communities including the Guna, Ngäbe Buglé and Emberá. The U.S. Department of State identifies traditions including Ibeorgun, Mama Tata, Mama Chi and Emberá religious traditions. Estimating their numbers is particularly difficult because religious practice can overlap with Indigenous cultural identity and because many communities are geographically dispersed.
The Guna people, for example, have their own traditional spiritual concepts and ceremonies. Among the Ngäbe Buglé, Mama Tata and Mama Chi represent important Indigenous religious traditions.
This is a fascinating reminder that the religious history of Panama did not begin with the arrival of Europeans. Christianity became dominant, but Indigenous spiritual traditions remain part of the country's cultural landscape.
Afro Caribbean culture brought another layer
Panama's Afro Caribbean population has also contributed to the country's religious diversity.
Large numbers of Caribbean workers came to Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal and the development of the country's railways and other infrastructure. Many came from English speaking Caribbean islands and brought Protestant traditions with them.
This helped establish churches and denominations including Baptists, Methodists and Episcopalians, particularly in places such as Colón and Panama City.
There are also smaller Rastafarian communities. Older government reports have particularly associated Rastafarian communities with Colón and La Chorrera.
Again, Panama's geography tells much of the story. It sits at the intersection of North America, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and its population has been shaped by people arriving from all of those directions.
Islam in Panama
Islam represents a relatively small percentage of the country's population, but it has an established presence.
Muslims in Panama include both Sunni and Shia communities. Panama City is the country's largest international center, and Muslim communities can also be found in places such as Colón and Penonomé.
For a visitor, this can be an interesting reminder that Panama is not culturally limited to Latin America. The country's commercial history has produced communities with connections stretching far beyond Central America.
Buddhism, Hinduism and Baháʼí communities
Panama also has smaller communities following Asian and Middle Eastern religious traditions.
Buddhist, Hindu and Baháʼí communities are present, particularly in larger urban areas. Older U.S. government reporting estimated approximately 3,000 Buddhists and about 6,000 Baháʼís, although these figures should be regarded as community estimates rather than a modern census.
There are also Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians, Seventh day Adventists, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Latter day Saints and other Christian groups.
Individually these communities may be small, but collectively they make Panama considerably more religiously varied than the simple phrase "Catholic country" suggests.
What about people who have no religion?
Another interesting change is the growing number of Panamanians who identify as having no religion.
The 2022 National Institute of Statistics and Census survey reported approximately 6% with no religion, while the 2023 survey cited above reported 10.1%.
The difference again demonstrates how much survey methodology matters.
Nevertheless, the trend is worth noticing. Panama is not becoming a completely secular society, but there is evidence that religious identity is becoming more varied. Younger generations in particular may be less likely to automatically identify with the religion of their parents.
At the same time, being nonreligious does not necessarily mean being hostile toward religion. Someone can have little interest in organized religion while still participating in Christmas celebrations, family traditions, religious weddings or cultural festivals.
Panama's religious landscape is changing
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about religion in Panama is not simply the percentages. It is the transition taking place underneath them.
Older statistics portrayed a country overwhelmingly dominated by Catholicism. More recent surveys show a considerably larger Evangelical population and a noticeable minority identifying with no religion. Meanwhile, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Baháʼí, Orthodox, Indigenous and other communities continue to contribute to the country's cultural mix.
The exact percentages will continue to be debated because Panama lacks one definitive modern religious census. But the broad picture is clear: Panama is predominantly Christian, historically Catholic, increasingly influenced by Evangelical Christianity, and considerably more religiously diverse than its traditional image suggests.
And perhaps that is fitting for Panama. This is a country built around people moving between worlds. Indigenous peoples were here first. Spanish colonists brought Catholicism. Africans and Caribbean workers brought their cultures and churches. Merchants and immigrants brought Judaism, Islam and other faiths. The Canal brought people from almost everywhere on Earth.
Today, all of those histories exist alongside one another in a country barely the size of the U.S. state of South Carolina.
That makes Panama's religious landscape another example of something that becomes obvious once you spend enough time here: Panama may look like a small Central American country on a map, but culturally it is a remarkably international place.