Climate risk country profile: Panama (2024)

This profile is part of a series of Climate Risk Country Profiles developed by Climate Change Group of the World Bank Group. This country profile aim to present a high-level assessment of the climate risks faced by Panama, including rapid-onset events and slow-onset changes in climate conditions, many of which are already underway, as well as summarize relevant information on policy and planning efforts at the country level.

Panama has a moist tropical and subtropical climate with one rainy and dry season annually, regionally influenced by the march of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, changes in elevation and coastal proximity, and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). By midcentury, Panama is likely to experience higher minimum and maximum temperatures. The country is also likely to more frequently experience extreme precipitation event occurrence. These conditions pose risks for food security, flood-related safety, disease ranges, biodiversity, and living conditions. Sea level rise and coastal inundation will increasingly threaten Panama’s Caribbean coast and parts of the Pacific coast. The frequency of intense floods and droughts associated with ENSO will likely become more common in the future and are especially critical to monitor in the Panama Canal watershed and Arco Seco, respectively.