The headline series
Panama residency statistics are published by the SNM’s own statistics unit as PDF reports on its portal.[1] Two of them cover the current window. One is the 2025 full-year report. The other covers 2026 through July and is preliminary.[2][3]
| Measure | 2025 full-year | 2026 Jan-Jul |
|---|---|---|
| Processed | 35,017 | 22,682 |
| Approved | 33,262 | 22,083 |
| Denied | 1,755 | 599 |
| Approval rate | 95% | 97% |
Approval is the norm in both years. Roughly nineteen of twenty files end approved.[2][3]
The 2026 window is seven months against 2025’s twelve. A straight comparison of totals would be wrong. Per-month pace is the only fair lineup. On that basis, 2026 runs at 3,155 approvals a month, ahead of 2025’s pace of about 2,772.[3]
The monthly shape of 2026
| Month | Approved | Denied |
|---|---|---|
| January | 2,604 | 83 |
| February | 2,912 | 96 |
| March | 2,758 | 62 |
| April | 2,590 | 62 |
| May | 2,634 | 59 |
| June | 2,512 | 85 |
| July | 6,073 | 152 |
Six months sit between 2,512 and 2,912. February was the strongest of the normal months at 2,912. June was the weakest at 2,512. The band is narrow. Nothing before July suggests a rising trend. Then July more than doubles the running average.[3]
That spike is not a demand event. The SNM’s own note explains it. The July variations correspond to administrative behavior in the approval process. A burst of favorable resolutions landed at once. The note names the drivers. They are the PPSH category, the six-year extension cards, the retiree permits, and the dependent permits.[3]
Read July as paperwork clearing. It is not twice as many people deciding to move to Panama.
What the numbers count
One category dominates the 2026 table. It is Protección de Seguridad Humanitaria, PPSH. It accounts for 8,564 of the 22,083 approvals. That is 38.8% of everything approved in the window.[3]
PPSH is an administrative regularization program for people already in Panama under humanitarian protection. It is not a relocation visa. Nobody applies for it from abroad as a lifestyle move. For readers planning a move through Friendly Nations, pensionado, or investor routes, the PPSH line is background noise in the national total. It is not a signal about their pathway.[3]
This site’s own audience maps to the relocation categories, not to the regularization ones. The category-trends page separates the two groups cleanly.
Who received permits
The 2026 approvals split almost evenly by sex. Men hold 11,455 of them. Women hold 10,628.[3]
By age group, the table skews working-age:[3]
| Age group | Permits |
|---|---|
| 0-10 | 458 |
| 11-17 | 754 |
| 18-39 | 10,518 |
| 40-54 | 6,244 |
| 55-79 | 3,810 |
| 80 and over | 131 |
| Not stated | 168 |
The 18-39 group alone is nearly half of all approvals. The 55-79 group, the classic pensionado bracket, is under a fifth of it. The two under-18 groups together hold 1,212 files. A small batch, 168, carries no stated age.[3]
Where applicants come from is its own table. Colombia leads 2026 with 6,619 approvals, 30.0% of the total. The by-nationality page carries the full country table.[3]
How to read the series
Every 2026 figure on this page carries the report’s own caveat. The Spanish reads “Cifras preliminares al 31 de julio del 2026 sujetas a revisión y actualización”. In English: preliminary to 31 July 2026, subject to revision.[3]
The 2025 report carries the same marker, stamped to its own year. The Spanish reads “Cifras preliminares al 31 de diciembre del 2025 sujetas a revisión y actualización”.[2] Both series sit under the SNM’s preliminary-revision caveat. When the next bulletin lands, months in either year can move a little. Treat single-month gaps as soft.
The SNM posts updated reports as new months close, on its statistics portal.[1] Three pages break the series down. By nationality shows the country cut. By category shows the program cut against 2025. Temporary versus permanent shows the permit-type cut.
This page is reviewed on a six-month cadence, in step with the SNM’s bulletin rhythm. The next review falls in March 2027.
Last reviewed: