Religion in Panama

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Religion in Panama (2020)[1]

  Roman Catholic (80.6%)
  Protestant (10.4%)
  Other (7.7%)
  Irreligion (1.3%)
Iglesia San Pedro, Taboga Island, Panama. The Iglesia San Pedro is the second-oldest colonial church in the Western Hemisphere.[2]

Christianity is the main religion in Panama. An official survey carried out by the government estimated in 2020 that 80.6% of the population, or 3,549,150 people, identifies itself as Roman Catholic, and 10.4 percent as evangelical Protestant, or 1,009,740.[1] The Jehovah's Witnesses were the third largest congregation comprising the 1.4% of the population, followed by the Adventist Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the 0.6%. There is a very large Buddhist (0.4% or 18,560) and Jewish community (0.1% or 5,240) in the country. The Baháʼí Faith community of Panama is estimated at 2.00% of the national population, or about 60,000[3] including about 10% of the Guaymí population;[4] the Baháʼís maintain one of the world's eight Baháʼí Houses of Worship in Panama.[5]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) claim more than 40,000 members.[6] Smaller religious groups include Buddhists with between 15,000 and 20,000 members, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Episcopalians with between 7,000 and 10,000 members, Jewish and Muslim communities with approximately 10,000 members each, Hindus, and other Christians.[5] Indigenous religions include (among Kuna) and (among Ngobe).[5] There is also a small number of Rastafarians.[5]

Baháʼí House of Worship, Panama City, Panama

Catholics are found throughout the country and at all levels of society.[5] Evangelical Christians also are dispersed geographically and are becoming more prominent in society.[5] The mainstream Protestant denominations, which include Southern Baptist Convention and other Baptist congregations, United Methodist, , and Lutheran, derive their membership from the Antillean black and the expatriate communities, both of which are concentrated in Panamá and Colón Provinces.[5] The Jewish community is centered largely in Panama City.[5] Muslims live primarily in Panama City and Colon, with smaller concentrations in David and other provincial cities.[5] The vast majority of Muslims are of Lebanese, Palestinian, or Indian descent.[5]

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, with some qualifications, and the Government generally respected this right in practice.[5] The US government reported that there were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in 2007.[5]

Historical Trends[]

  • Sources: Bassed on Pew Center Research (including historical percentages of Catholicism),[7] by ends-1900 there were 26,000 U.S American[8] (more than half being Protestants) stablished for the Canal construction making the 9% in a total population of 290,000 (1911 Census)
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References[]

  1. ^ a b "Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Hogares, Panama 2020" (PDF). Ministerio Público de la República de Panamá. December 2020.
  2. ^ Katzman, Patricia. Panama. Hunter Publishing (2005), p106. ISBN 1-58843-529-6.
  3. ^ "Panama". WCC > Member churches > Regions > Latin America > Panama. World Council of Churches. 2006-01-01. Archived from the original on 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  4. ^ International Community, Baháʼí (October–December 1994). "In Panama, some Guaymis blaze a new path". One Country. 1994 (October–December).
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Panama. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (September 14, 2007). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ Panama Archived 2008-02-21 at the Wayback Machine. LDS Newsroom. Retrieved 2008-12-13
  7. ^ "Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  8. ^ https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/fall/panama.html[bare URL]

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