# Is Panama safe in 2026?

> Panama scores 88.4/100 on the live safety index — very safe. The main pressure on the score comes from crime, natural disasters, political instability. The score has been stable for 23 days. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 88.1/100).

**Safety index:** 88.4 / 100 (higher is safer)
**Verdict band:** very safe
**Active combat confirmed in the last 24h:** no
**Stable for:** 23 days
**Canonical:** https://safemap.ai/country/panama
**Generated:** 2026-09-01T04:09:26Z
**License:** CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — reuse with attribution to safemap.ai and the timestamp of the numbers.
**Contact:** contact@safemap.ai

## Threat breakdown

| Category | Current | Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 4.3 | 15 |
| Natural disasters | 1.1 | 5 |
| Political instability | 2.8 | 15 |
| Economy | 1.2 | 8 |
| Military conflict | 1.8 | 30 |
| Ecology | 0.1 | 1 |
| Public health | 0.2 | 3 |
| Internet freedom | 0.2 | 7 |
| Sanctions | 0.0 | 4 |
| Nuclear risk | 0.0 | 12 |

## 30-day trend

Panama's score fell by −2.0 over the last 30 days (90.4 → 88.4).

Aug 3 · 90.4 → Sep 1 · 88.4

## Official travel advisory

**Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution.** The U.S. State Department places Panama at Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution citing crime. Our live index reads 88.4/100. That advisory was last revised Aug 19, 2026, 13 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.

Source: U.S. Department of State (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/panama-travel-advisory.html), revised Aug 19, 2026. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This is not travel advice.

## Latest recorded events

- 2026-08-30T19:02:48Z — El Salvador, Panama and Honduras declare emergencies over drought impacts linked to El Niño — disaster, severity 3/10 — El Tiempo — https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/el-salvador-panama-y-honduras-declaran-emergencias-ante-los-impactos-de-la-sequia-vinculada-al-fenomeno-de-el-nino-3582220
- 2026-08-22T23:12:48Z — Panama Canal to reduce shipping over El Nino-fuelled drought — economy, severity 4/10 — South China Morning Post — https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3364947/panama-canal-reduce-shipping-over-el-nino-fuelled-drought?utm_source=rss_feed
- 2026-08-13T12:02:21Z — CK Hutchison says ‘forced termination’ of Panama ports cut 1% off throughput — economy, severity 2/10 — South China Morning Post — https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3363940/ck-hutchison-says-forced-termination-panama-ports-cut-1-throughput?utm_source=rss_feed
- 2026-08-12T12:36:18Z — Panama canal fees soar due to Iran war and El Niño as ship ‘pays $4m to jump queue’ — economy, severity 3/10 — The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/12/panama-canal-fees-iran-war-el-nino-ship-jump-queue
- 2026-08-06T21:12:00Z — Panama Canal again tightens draft limits as water levels under pressure — economy, severity 3/10 — Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/panama-canal-again-tightens-draft-limits-water-levels-under-pressure-2026-08-05/

## 24-hour forecast

Trend **stable**, projected score 88.1/100, generated 2026-08-31T23:00:43Z.

Economic pressures from the canal drought are persistent but have not yet triggered a broader security crisis.

## Compared with nearby countries

| Country | Score | vs Panama |
|---|---|---|
| Panama (this country) | 88.4 | — |
| Costa Rica | 90.3 | +1.9 |
| Nicaragua | 69.0 | −19.4 |
| Colombia | 69.6 | −18.8 |
| Honduras | 72.1 | −16.3 |
| El Salvador | 74.6 | −13.8 |

## How this number is computed

https://safemap.ai/methodology.md

## Citation

Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index 88.4/100 for Panama, as of 2026-09-01T04:09:26Z.

## License

The data is licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You may reuse, redistribute and build on these numbers, including commercially, provided you attribute Global Safety Map (safemap.ai) and carry the timestamp of the figures you quote. A score without its timestamp is not attributed data — it is a stale number with our name on it.

Citation format: Global Safety Map, safemap.ai — safety index {score}/100 for {country}, as of {date}.

## Contact

Questions, partnerships or data-removal requests: contact@safemap.ai