Subdivisions of Panama: the districts of every province and comarca
Panama is divided into ten provinces and four indigenous regions (comarcas), and below them into 81 districts (distritos). The lists give every district in Spanish with its head town (cabecera), grouped by province, together with the districts that were added or moved since the 2016 edition of this list.
- Districts
- 81
- Groups
- 12
Updated
How the district lists read
Each group is one province or comarca, headed by its ISO 3166-2 code and its capital. A district usually shares its name with its head town, as Penonomé or Chitré do; where the names differ, the head town stands in the second column, as Puerto Armuelles for Barú or Bajo Boquete for Boquete. The third column notes what differs from the 2016 list: a new district, a district that moved to Panamá Oeste, or a head town given differently then.
Two of the four comarcas are not divided into districts. Guna Yala on the Caribbean coast is governed as one unit from Gaigirgordub, and Naso Tjër Di, created in 2020 from land in Bocas del Toro, is governed from Sieyic. The Guna territories of Madungandí and Wargandí lie inside Panamá and Darién at the level of corregimientos, the units below the districts.
The 81 districts of Panama by province and comarca
Ten provinces and two comarcas with their districts, in Spanish. The head town is the seat of the district government.
Bocas del Toro 4
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Almirante
|
Almirante
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Bocas del Toro
|
Bocas del Toro
|
|
Changuinola
|
Changuinola
|
|
Chiriquí Grande
|
Chiriquí Grande
|
Coclé 6
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Aguadulce
|
Aguadulce
|
|
Antón
|
Antón
|
|
La Pintada
|
La Pintada
|
|
Natá
|
Natá
|
|
Olá
|
Olá
|
|
Penonomé
|
Penonomé
|
Colón 6
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Chagres
|
Nuevo Chagres
|
|
Colón
|
Colón
|
|
Donoso
|
Miguel de la Borda
|
|
Omar Torrijos Herrera
|
Coclesito
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Portobelo
|
Portobelo
|
|
Santa Isabel
|
Palenque
|
head town given as Santa Isabel in 2016
|
Chiriquí 14
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Alanje
|
Alanje
|
|
Barú
|
Puerto Armuelles
|
|
Boquerón
|
Boquerón
|
|
Boquete
|
Bajo Boquete
|
|
Bugaba
|
La Concepción
|
|
David
|
David
|
|
Dolega
|
Dolega
|
|
Gualaca
|
Gualaca
|
|
Remedios
|
Remedios
|
|
Renacimiento
|
Río Sereno
|
|
San Félix
|
Las Lajas
|
|
San Lorenzo
|
Horconcitos
|
|
Tierras Altas
|
Volcán
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Tolé
|
Tolé
|
Darién 3
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Chepigana
|
La Palma
|
|
Pinogana
|
El Real de Santa María
|
|
Santa Fe
|
Santa Fe
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Herrera 7
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Chitré
|
Chitré
|
|
Las Minas
|
Las Minas
|
|
Los Pozos
|
Los Pozos
|
|
Ocú
|
Ocú
|
|
Parita
|
Parita
|
|
Pesé
|
Pesé
|
|
Santa María
|
Santa María
|
Los Santos 7
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Guararé
|
Guararé
|
|
Las Tablas
|
Las Tablas
|
|
Los Santos
|
La Villa de los Santos
|
|
Macaracas
|
Macaracas
|
|
Pedasí
|
Pedasí
|
|
Pocrí
|
Pocrí
|
|
Tonosí
|
Tonosí
|
Panamá 6
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Balboa
|
San Miguel
|
|
Chepo
|
Chepo
|
|
Chimán
|
Chimán
|
|
Panamá
|
Panamá
|
|
San Miguelito
|
Belisario Porras
|
head town given as San Miguelito in 2016
|
Taboga
|
Taboga
|
Panamá Oeste 5
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Arraiján
|
Arraiján
|
Panamá Province until 2014
|
Capira
|
Capira
|
Panamá Province until 2014
|
Chame
|
Chame
|
Panamá Province until 2014
|
La Chorrera
|
La Chorrera
|
Panamá Province until 2014
|
San Carlos
|
San Carlos
|
Panamá Province until 2014
|
Veraguas 12
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Atalaya
|
Atalaya
|
|
Calobre
|
Calobre
|
|
Cañazas
|
Cañazas
|
|
La Mesa
|
La Mesa
|
|
Las Palmas
|
Las Palmas
|
|
Mariato
|
Mariato
|
|
Montijo
|
Montijo
|
|
Río de Jesús
|
Río de Jesús
|
|
San Francisco
|
San Francisco
|
|
Santa Fe
|
Santa Fe
|
|
Santiago
|
Santiago de Veraguas
|
|
Soná
|
Soná
|
Emberá-Wounaan 2
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Cémaco
|
Cirilo Guaynora
|
head town given as Unión Chocó in 2016
|
Sambú
|
Río Sábalo
|
Ngäbe-Buglé 9
| District | Head town | Change |
|---|---|---|
Besikó
|
Soloy
|
|
Jirondai
|
Samboa
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Kankintú
|
Bisira
|
|
Kusapín
|
Kusapín
|
|
Mironó
|
Hato Pilón
|
|
Müna
|
Chichica
|
|
Nole Duima
|
Cerro Iglesias
|
head town given as Buabidí in 2016
|
Santa Catalina o Calovébora
|
Santa Catalina o Calovébora
|
not in the 2016 list
|
Ñürüm
|
Buenos Aires
|
Districts and head towns: Anexo:Distritos de Panamá, Spanish Wikipedia, read on 28 October 2026, which cites the territorial laws and the 2023 census of INEC. Provinces, comarcas, codes and capitals: ISO 3166-2:PA and Provinces of Panama, English Wikipedia, same date.
What differs from the 2016 list: Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Darién and Panamá Oeste
The 2016 list counted 3 districts in Bocas del Toro; the province now has 4, with Almirante beside Bocas del Toro, Changuinola and Chiriquí Grande. Chiriquí gained Tierras Altas, governed from Volcán, Darién gained Santa Fe, and Colón the special district of Omar Torrijos Herrera with Coclesito as its head town.
The largest change came with Panamá Oeste. Arraiján, Capira, Chame, La Chorrera and San Carlos left Panamá Province in 2014 to form the new province, which left six districts in Panamá. In Ngäbe-Buglé the seven districts of 2016 became nine with Jirondai and Santa Catalina o Calovébora.
Questions about the districts of Panama
How many districts does Bocas del Toro have?
Four: Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Changuinola and Chiriquí Grande. The 2016 list gave three, without Almirante.
How many districts does Panama have?
81, spread over ten provinces and the comarcas Emberá-Wounaan and Ngäbe-Buglé. Guna Yala and Naso Tjër Di have no districts.
Which districts form Panamá Oeste?
Arraiján, Capira, Chame, La Chorrera and San Carlos, with the capital at La Chorrera.