Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Panama
Panama: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Panama, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in Panama is 2.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is down 26.8% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Panama peaked at 4.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2023.
That places Panama 169th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Panama, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.0% | — |
| 1971 | 3.4% | -17.0% |
| 1972 | 4.0% | +18.8% |
| 1973 | 3.5% | -12.5% |
| 1974 | 3.8% | +9.6% |
| 1975 | 4.2% | +8.8% |
| 1976 | 4.3% | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 4.3% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 3.6% | -15.8% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 3.4% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +15.7% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | -10.3% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | +13.8% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | -7.1% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +16.3% |
| 2000 | 4.9% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -14.4% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +31.2% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -13.8% |
| 2022 | 3.4% | -9.0% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -26.8% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 2.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 56% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Panama's 2.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 61% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 8 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 4 |
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 government spending on education as a share of gdp in Panama?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Panama was 2.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2023.
- How does Panama rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Panama ranks 169th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.