Skip to main content
ACAPSACAPS
Change country

Country analysis

Panama

In Panama, there are 146,400 Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow economic recovery have had an impact on the livelihoods, basic needs, and access to health services of the Venezuelan population in the country.

Panama is also a transit country for migration to the US, connecting South America with Central America. Since 2020, there has been an increase in the number of Venezuelans using the Darién Gap to cross from Colombia to Panama because of border closures related to COVID-19 containment measures. Since September 2021, the Governments of Panama and Colombia have agreed to allow 650 migrants per day to cross both sides of the border.

Despite the agreement between the two countries, almost 150,000 Venezuelan migrants had entered Panama using irregular routes as at December 2022. Harsh climatic conditions, the dangers of the jungle, a lack of access to humanitarian response, and the presence of armed groups in the Darién Gap put migrants crossing from Colombia to Panama at risk of human trafficking, multiple forms of gender-based violence, forced disappearances, kidnappings, and robberies.

(R4V 24/10/2022, R4V accessed 31/01/2022, R4V 24/10/2022, DW 01/01/2023%20la%20autoridad%20migratoria.), UN 17/01/2023, UNHCR 27/01/2023)

In Panama, there are 146,400 Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow economic recovery have had an impact on the livelihoods, basic needs, and access to health services of the Venezuelan population in the country.

Panama is also a transit country for migration to the US, connecting South America with Central America. Since 2020, there has been an increase in the number of Venezuelans using the Darién Gap to cross from Colombia to Panama because of border closures related to COVID-19 containment measures. Since September 2021, the Governments of Panama and Colombia have agreed to allow 650 migrants per day to cross both sides of the border.

Despite the agreement between the two countries, almost 150,000 Venezuelan migrants had entered Panama using irregular routes as at December 2022. Harsh climatic conditions, the dangers of the jungle, a lack of access to humanitarian response, and the presence of armed groups in the Darién Gap put migrants crossing from Colombia to Panama at risk of human trafficking, multiple forms of gender-based violence, forced disappearances, kidnappings, and robberies.

(R4V 24/10/2022, R4V accessed 31/01/2022, R4V 24/10/2022, DW 01/01/2023%20la%20autoridad%20migratoria.), UN 17/01/2023, UNHCR 27/01/2023)

View more

Latest updates on country situation

18 August 2023

Panama recorded nearly 252,000 migrants crossing the Darién jungle between January–July 2023, exceeding the record high for the entire 2022. July 2023 marked the second-highest monthly crossing in history, with nearly 14,000 women and around 12,500 children and adolescents crossing the jungle. This figure is also the highest monthly migration recorded for these groups. Most of the migrants are malnourished and poorly equipped at the beginning of their journeys, making minor illnesses life-threatening in the treacherous jungle environment. The migrants are also vulnerable to attacks by armed groups and bandits, increasing the risk of injuries, deaths, and rape or sexual assault. The migrants need drinking water and food, shelter, essential items such as mosquito nets, blankets, and solar lamps, hygiene kits and adequate sanitation services, healthcare services, spaces for self-care for women and adolescent girls, and psychosocial support and child protection through child-friendly spaces for children. (WOLA 18/08/2023, ACAPS 19/04/2023, UNICEF 03/08/2023)

28 June 2023

Between January–April 2023, 127,000 migrants (mainly Venezuelans) crossed into the Darién jungle from the municipality of Necoclí, Colombia. This figure represents an increase of five times more than the same period in 2022. Migrants in transit need shelter, protection, access to drinking water and food, and adequate hygiene and sanitation. (OCHA 20/06/2023, MSF 28/06/2023)

25 March 2023

Between 9–16 March, at least 8,819 migrants, mainly Venezuelans, crossed into the Darién jungle from the municipality of Necoclí, Colombia. This figure is an increase of 12% compared to the previous week. Migrants in transit need shelter, protection, medical services, water, and food. By the end of 2023, it is estimated that 400,000 people will have crossed the Darien jungle.
(UNHCR 20/03/2023), (R4V 25/03/2023)

current crises
in Panama

These crises have been identified through the INFORM Severity Index, a tool for measuring and comparing the severity of humanitarian crises globally.

Read more about the Index

PAN002 - Venezuelan refugees

Last updated 21/08/2023

Drivers

Displacement

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

2.3 Medium

Access constraints

2.0

REG002 - Venezuela Regional Crisis

Last updated 17/05/2023

Drivers


Crisis level

Regional

Severity level

3.9 High

Access constraints

4.0

Analysis products
on Panama

Panama: Increase in migrant traffic through the Darien Gap

19 April 2023

Panama: Increase in migrant traffic through the Darien Gap

DOCUMENT / PDF / 930 KB

Between January and 13 April 2023, an estimated 100,000 people crossed the Darien Gap. This figure represents about six times the number of people who crossed during the same time period in 2022. If this trend continues, UNHCR and IOM estimate that by the end of the year, around 400,000 people would have passed through this region.

Mixed migration
Panama-Colombia border: migration crisis

02 November 2022

Panama-Colombia border: migration crisis

DOCUMENT / PDF / 293 KB

Between January–September 2022, more than 150,000 people crossed into Panama from Colombia through the Darién Gap. Although migrants have historically used the Darién route to reach Central America, the flow of migrants through this route considerably increased between 2021–2022. 

Mixed migration
View more