Military profile
Panama Military Strength
Panama ranks #135 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking. It spent $0 on its military in 2025 (0.0% of GDP).
Panama armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 0#143 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 27,000#45 of 145
- Army personnel
- 20,500#93 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 0#138 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 0#113 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 41#97 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 22#89 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 0#106 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $0#154 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.0%#154 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $109.0 billion#83 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Armed forces of Panama
Branches and forces
no regular military forces Ministry of Public Security: National Police (Policía Nacional, PN), National Aeronaval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN), National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, SENAFRONT) (2025)
Personnel
approximately 30,000 Ministry of Public Security personnel (2025)
Good to know
the Panamanian Public Forces focus on law enforcement, border control, and maritime security; the National Police are responsible for internal law enforcement and public order, while the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) handles border security; the Aeronaval Service is responsible for carrying out air and naval operations that include some internal security responsibilities; key areas of focus are countering narcotics trafficking and securing the border, particularly along the frontier with Colombia where SENAFRONT maintains a significant presence Panama created a paramilitary National Guard (Guardia Nacional de Panamá) in the 1950s from the former National Police (established 1904); the National Guard subsequently evolved into more of a military force with some police responsibilities; it seized power in a coup in 1968 and military officers ran the country until 1989; in 1983, the National Guard was renamed the Panama Defense Force (PDF); the PDF was disbanded after the 1989 US invasion and the current national police forces were formed in 1990; the armed forces were officially abolished under the 1994 Constitution (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 1.1% · 2023: 1.1% · 2022: 1.2% · 2021: 1.3% · 2020: 1.4%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Panama compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Panama | #135 | $0 |
 Colombia | #43 | $14.5 billion |