Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama
Panama: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 98.2% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
98.2%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
15th
of 57 countries
All-time high
98.3%
in 2018
All-time low
95.5%
in 1980
Years of data
5
1980–2019
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama, 1980–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama stood at 98.2%.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama peaked at 98.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 95.5%, in 1980.
Panama ranks 15th of 57 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 95.5% | — |
| 2000 | 97.3% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 97.9% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 98.3% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.2% | -0.1% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 98.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
- Panama's 98.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 95.5% | 95.5% | 95.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.3% | 97.3% | 97.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.2% | 97.9% | 98.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More education data for Panama
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 23,777 (2017)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 10,042 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 47,857 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 46,052 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 311,983 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 451,308 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0999 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Panama was 98.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 98.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 95.5% in 1980.
- How does Panama rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Panama ranks 15th out of 57 countries with data for 2019.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release