Religion in Panama (2020 estimate)[1]

  Catholicism (80.6%)
  Other Christian (10.4%)
  No religion (7.7%)
  Others (1.3%)
The Metropolitan Archcathedral Basilica of Santa María la Antigua in Panama City.

The predominant religion in Panama is Christianity, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Before the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the various ethnic groups residing in the territory of modern day Panama practiced a multitude of faiths.[2]

The Panamanian constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice.[2] The US government reported that there were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in 2007.[2]

Overview

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 Buddhist (0.4% or 18,560) and a 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.[2]

Distribution

Iglesia San Pedro, Taboga Island, Panama. The Iglesia San Pedro is the second-oldest colonial era church in the Western Hemisphere.[5]

Catholics are found throughout the country and at all levels of society.[2] Evangelical Christians also are dispersed geographically and are becoming more prominent in society.[2] The mainstream Protestant denominations, which include Southern Baptist Convention and other Baptist congregations, United Methodist, Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas, and Lutheran, derive their membership from the Antillean black and the expatriate communities, both of which are concentrated in Panamá and Colón Provinces.[2] The Jewish community is centered largely in Panama City.[2] Muslims live primarily in Panama City and Colon, with smaller concentrations in David and other provincial cities.[2] The vast majority of Muslims are of Lebanese, Palestinian, or Indian descent.[2]

Baháʼí House of Worship, Panama City, Panama

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.[2] Indigenous religions include Ibeorgun (among Kuna) and Mamatata (among Ngobe).[2] There is also a small number of Rastafarians.[2]

Baháʼí House of Worship, Panama City, Panama

Historical Trends

  • Sources: Based 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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See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Hogares, Panama 2020" (PDF). Ministerio Público de la República de Panamá. December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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.
  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. ^ Katzman, Patricia. Panama. Hunter Publishing (2005), p106. ISBN 1-58843-529-6.
  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. 13 November 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Looking for an Ancestor in the Panama Canal Zone, 1904-1914 | National Archives". 15 August 2016.

External links