Studies carried out in Panama on food availability evidence that food supply in the country has been systematically decreasing over time. The main causes are the increase of food prices, stagnation of wages and rises in unemployment rates. Consumption of calcium, iron and Vitamin A is deficient, especially in indigenous areas.

Panama has one of the most inequitable income distribution structures in Latin America. 64% of rural households are poor and more than one third of them are extremely poor. Chronic malnutrition on children 6-9 is as high as 68% among the indigenous population and 42% among children in the poorest districts.

Several factors have an influence on low height for age among children: environmental factors, malnutrition due to lack of protein and calories, micronutrient deficiency: iron, iodine and Vitamin A, psychological and emotional deprivations and recurring infections. Regions where low height for age is twice as high as the national average are classified as high risk. This is the case of Bocas del Toro and San Blas.

In rural areas, 63% of the population is poor. In indigenous and difficult to access areas 90% of the population is poor. 1 in very 3 children who live in extreme poverty is malnourished. According to the Quality of Life Survey, more than half of indigenous children suffer from malnutrition.