Is Panama City a Seismic Zone? Earthquake Risk Explained

Panama City has a moderate-to-low earthquake risk, notably lower than most Central American capitals. While Panama as a country does experience seismic activity, the capital sits in a comparatively stable zone compared with the western part of the country or neighboring Costa Rica.

The geological reason is its position within the Panama Block, a microplate wedged between the Cocos, Nazca, Caribbean and South American plates. The most dangerous seismic sources are concentrated in western Panama, near the border with Costa Rica and the deformed fold belt of northern Panama, while the capital area sits farther from those active fronts. Even so, faults capable of affecting central Panama do exist.

The most significant historical event for the country was the 1991 earthquake in the Caribbean, near the Costa Rican border, which caused severe damage in the province of Bocas del Toro but barely affected the capital. Hazard studies place Panama City at an intermediate-to-low risk level, which does not exempt the city from applying proper building codes, especially given the many high-rise towers built there in recent decades.