Nearly half of households surveyed in Panama reported eating fewer than three times a day during the preceding month because they lacked money for food, according to a new national quality-of-life study.
The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama presented the findings on September 22 as part of the ninth edition of its Panamá, ¡Cuéntame! report.
Gallup Panama interviewed 1,238 adults between August 12 and September 1 across all 10 provinces and the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca. The survey has a reported margin of error of 2.8 percentage points and a 95% confidence level.
The reported pressure was most severe in Panama’s indigenous territories, where 74% of households said they had eaten fewer than three times a day because of insufficient money. The national figure was 47%, rising to 53% outside the metropolitan area and falling to 42% within it.
Economic insecurity extended beyond food. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said their financial situation had deteriorated during the previous year, while 68% did not expect to be able to save money over the next 12 months.
Among employed respondents, 47% said their salary was insufficient to cover basic needs. Separately, 83% of Panamanians surveyed described finding work as difficult.
The wider report combines the Gallup survey with official and international statistics covering 2023 through 2025. It found that informal employment represented 47.1% of Panama’s non-agricultural workforce in 2025, equivalent to nearly 785,000 people. More than 70% of formally employed workers earned less than $1,000 per month.
The Chamber cautioned that the survey findings reflect respondents’ reported experiences and perceptions and do not replace official poverty or food-security statistics.
The report also identified improvements, including greater access to financial accounts and a reduction in the conventional housing deficit. However, it concluded that income inequality and unequal access to employment, education, healthcare and basic services remain particularly severe in indigenous and rural communities.
Sources: Panama Chamber of Commerce
