The indigenous peoples of Panama, also known as Native Panamanians, are the original inhabitants of Panama, is the Native peoples whose history in the territory of today's Panama predates Spanish colonization. As of the 2010 census, Indigenous peoples constitute 12.3% of Panama’s population of 3.4 million, totaling just over 418,000 individuals. The Ngäbe and Buglé comprise half of the Indigenous peoples of Panama.[1]
Many of the Indigenous Peoples live on comarca indígenas,[2] which are administrative regions for areas with substantial Indigenous populations. Three comarcas (Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, Guna Yala, Ngäbe-Buglé) exist as equivalent to a province, with two smaller comarcas (Guna de Madugandí and Guna de Wargandí) subordinate to a province and considered equivalent to a corregimiento (municipality).
Some native peoples speak Spanish, while many more retain their traditional languages. According to the 2000 census, the following indigenous languages are spoken in Panama:
933 speakers (in Panama)
2,521 speakers
17,731 speakers
22,485 speakers
61,707 speakers
3,305 speakers
169,130 speakers
6,882 speakers[2]