IMF-巴拿马地区收入差距（英）

Regional Income Disparaties in Panama Mai Hakamada SIP/2025/125IMF Selected Issues Papers are prepared by IMF staff as background documentation for periodic consultations with member countries. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on July 9, 2025. This paper is also published separately as IMF Country Report No 25/246. 2025 SEP © 2025 International Monetary Fund SIP/2025/125 IMF Selected Issues Paper Western Hemisphere Department Regional Income Disparities in PanamaPrepared by Mai Hakamada (WHD) Authorized for distribution by Bas B. Bakker September 2025 IMF Selected Issues Papers are prepared by IMF staff as background documentation for periodic consultations with member countries. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on July 9th, 2025. This paper is also published separately as IMF Country Report No 25/246. ABSTRACT: Panama exhibits high income inequality largely driven by disparities between regions rather than within them. The Panama Canal corridor, including Panama City and Colón, benefits from concentrated economic activities with high labor productivity and incomes. In contrast, rural and indigenous provinces face structural constraints such as poor infrastructure, limited education, and high informality, resulting in low productivity and poverty. Accounting decomposition shows that regional income gaps stem mainly from labor productivity differences, influenced by population density, sectoral composition, education, healthcare access, and infrastructure. These factors collectively underpin Panama’s pronounced regional income disparities. RECOMMENDED CITATION: Mai Hakamada, “Regional Income Disparities in Panama.” IMF Selected Issues Paper 25/125 JEL Classification Numbers: O11, J10, R58 Keywords: Determinants of Development, Demographic Economics, Regional Development Author’s E-Mail Address: mhakamada@imf.org SELECTED ISSUES PAPERS Regional Income Disparaties in Panama Prepared by Mai Hakamada PANAMA SELECTED ISSUES Approved ByWestern Hemisphere Department Prepared By Mai Hakamada REGIONAL INCOME DISPARITIES IN PANAMA _____________________________________ 2 A. Introduction and Background ________________________________________________________ 2B. Regional Overview ___________________________________________________________________ 3C. Differences in Per Capita GDP: A Bookkeeping Perspective __________________________ 4D. Factors Explaining the Differences ___________________________________________________ 5E. Conclusion ___________________________________________________________________________ 8References ______________________________________________________________________________ 9 CONTENTS July 9, 2025 COUNTRY 2 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND REGIONAL INCOME DISPARITIES IN PANAMA A. Introduction and Background 1. Income inequality in Panama is high by both global and regional standards. In 2019 the country’s Gini coefficient was 49.1—well above the world ave