In the year 2015, it was determined that approximately 23% of the country' population lived below the poverty line. Despite having 23% of the population living under the poverty line, however, there was only a 6% unemployment rate in 2017, ranking Panama 91st out of the 195 countries. Panama's poverty rate has actually decreased substantially in the past few years (16.9% in 2014 to 14.1% in 2017), due in part to the rapidly growing economy; however, poverty is still a pressing matter in Panama's rural areas that are mainly inhabited by the indigenous people.
In 2017 in Panama, 20.1% of the Gross Domestic Product was received through taxes, equating to approximately $12.43 billion. With a GDP of $61.84 billion, Panama has a national debt of $91.53 billion, due in part to the $1.1 billion difference between Panama's revenues and its spending. In fact, as of 2017, Panama's current account balance is -$3.036 billion, which is actually a a decrease from the previous year: in 2016, the country's account balance was -$3.16 billion, ranking it 176th out of the 195 other countries. This decrease is partially due to an increase in Panama's exports - between 2016 and 2017, income from exports increased by $800 million. Panama's largest export partner is the United States, followed closely by the Netherlands, and Panama exports fruits and nuts, fish, iron and steel waste, and wood. For imports, Panama's largest partner is the United States, followed by China and Mexico, and Panama imports fuels, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel rods, and pharmaceuticals.
Panama's infrastructure is one of the best of the Latin American countries, including a network of roads and highways, the Panama Railroad, over 100 international and domestic airports and the Panama Canal. Panama does not, however, have traditional street addresses; very few places have street numbers, and there are no postal codes. As such, the country does not have door-to-door mail delivery -- to receive mail, Panamanians can stop by the local post office, or register for a PO box by paying a small yearly fee. Most Panamanians have access to electricity, but it can be expensive; the food and housing, however, cost much less than they do in the United States.