A promising future awaits Panama next year, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, which forecasts economic growth of 7.5%.
The estimate is higher than all countries in the region and will be driven by large infrastructure projects like the Canal expansion, the Metro, the copper mine in Columbus, hotel projects and residential construction. The United Nations agency said that the challenge for the country will reduce unemployment. The Panamanian economy grew 2.4% in 2009, while in 2010, the annual gross domestic product reached 6.8%.