Duration of compulsory education in Panama
Panama: Duration of compulsory education was 11 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 205 countries
All-time high
11 years
in 1998
All-time low
11 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Panama, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Panama recorded 11 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Panama peaked at 11 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1998.
That places Panama 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in Panama, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 11 years | — |
| 1999 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 years | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 11 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Panama's 11 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12 years, 92% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 65 Australia 11 years compare
- 65 Barbados 11 years compare
- 65 Belarus 11 years compare
- 65 Ghana 11 years compare
- 65 Latvia 11 years compare
- 65 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 65 Malta 11 years compare
- 65 Monaco 11 years compare
- 65 Niue 11 years compare
- 65 Russia 11 years compare
- 65 Senegal 11 years compare
- 65 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 65 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 65 Sri Lanka 11 years compare
- 65 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 years compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 65 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
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 duration of compulsory education in Panama?
- Duration of compulsory education in Panama was 11 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1998.
- How does Panama rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Panama ranks 65th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of years of compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.