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At the height of its economic success, Panama seems to be seizing the opportunity to expand medical infrastructure. Funding for health in both the public and private sectors is rising along with spending per capita on medical services. Five new hospitals under construction are expected to add 1500 new beds and benefit some 658,000 patients, boosting the quality of health care in areas outside of...

As Panama enters a new stage of economic maturity, the quality of its education system has claimed a pivotal role for authorities and the private sector alike. Curricular reform has significantly improved performance across the board: coverage for initial education rose 12.1% from 2011 to 2012, while coverage for primary and pre-middle school education rose 2.1% and 0.8%, respectively. In the...

According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census, the agriculture sector grew 6% in 2011 and 3.9% in 2012. However, its contribution to GDP fell from 8% at the start of the millennium to 2.5% in the third quarter of 2013. One of four key pillars of economic growth in the Strategic Plan 2012-14, the sector has faced a number of challenges. The rapid pace of urbanisation, accompanied by...

One of four key pillars of economic growth in the Strategic Economic Plan 2010-14, the tourism sector has experienced rapid development in the past decade. According to the World Travel...

According to the National Public Services Authority, ICT revenues rose from $743m in 2007 to $957m in 2013, maintaining a contribution to national GDP of around 3%. Much of this growth has been generated through the expansion of mobile services and broadband, which continue to offer significant room for growth. Fixed-line connections also registered significant expansion, rising 14% year-on-year...

With demand for power estimated to grow around 7.5% per year until 2016 and maintaining annual averages of 5.6% in the following 10 years, managing the balance between demand and supply is a key concern for Panama. In other utility segments, such as water, rising consumption levels are exposing decades-long underinvestment in infrastructure networks. As a result, ambitious investment plans – from...