Economy & Business - February 2026

PANAMA | Gov’t hails record exports. On 3 February Panama’s trade & industry ministry (Mici) released new figures showing that the country’s exports (excluding from duty-free zones) totalled a record US$980.1m in 2025, which it described as a “historic” level over the past 16 years, and up 1.6% on 2024. According to the same figures, frozen shrimp was the leading export, accounting for 13.3% of the total followed by crude palm oil (7.7%). Bananas, historically Panama’s main export, accounted for 7.5% as a result of industrial activity in the sector as part of a nationwide strike last year. As regards sectors, overall, fish and shellfish accounted for 22.2% of the total, followed by fruit (11.3%), fats and oils (10.7%), and iron and steel foundry (6.5%), among others. The US remains Panama’s main export market, accounting for 15.0% of sales, followed by Taiwan (12.8%) and the Netherlands (7.4%). According to the same Mici figures, exports from duty-free zones totalled US$312.5m last year, down 5.3% on 2024.