The population census is the main source of statistical and demographic data in a country. This paper aims to research about the situation in Panama ahead of the results of the 2023 Census, considering the main novelties and changes in the census questionnaire, the change in the methodology of enumeration, as well as to assess the quality of the data, considering the presence of coverage and content errors in the most recent censuses. To that effect, we examine the historical evolution of the censuses in Panama, including the institutional organization, the census questionnaire is reviewed, and several graphical and derived measures from the available data are used to assess its quality.
Regarding the coverage errors, a considerable omission of the total population is verified, compared to the rest of the region and the estimations from the demographical model of United Nations, as well as of men and population under the age of 5. In respect to the content errors, focused on the age variable, there has been changes to the question, which favors the adequate collection of data, in order to enhance its quality, which historically has been quite acceptable.
