Panama grows and grows

Panama's economy continues to grow strongly year after year, and 2013 will be no exception, as it will turn into the second-strongest performance of any country in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the annual economic outlook from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL in its Spanish initials).

Only Paraguay will finish ahead of Panama, which will be the leader in Central America, thanks to growth in output, accompanied by low unemployment.

Nicaragua, fifth in Latin America and the Caribbean, is second in the region, while El Salvador is in 30th place.

Jamaica is last in the overall list, with the lowest expectation of economic growth.

The CEPAL report analyzes such factors as growth of gross domestic product, consumer price index, employment, wages and exports (figures in brackets indicate the position of each Central American country in the overall ranking).

1. Panama (2)
2. Nicaragua (5)
3. Costa Rica (15)
4. Honduras (18)
5. Guatemala (19)
6. El Salvador (30)