Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama
Panama: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 16.6% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
16.6%
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
25th
of 123 countries
All-time high
21.3%
in 2019
All-time low
16.6%
in 2021
Years of data
8
2014–2021
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama, 2014–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
In 2021, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama stood at 16.6%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
That places Panama 25th out of 123 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 17.4% | — |
| 2015 | 17.7% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | -17.8% |
| 2021 | 16.6% | -5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19.0% | 17.4% | 21.3% | 6 |
| 2020s | 17.1% | 16.6% | 17.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 22 Costa Rica 18.0% compare
- 23 Jamaica 17.7%
- 24 Samoa 17.1% compare
- 26 Israel 16.5% compare
- 27 Philippines 16.1% compare
- 28 Madagascar 16.0% 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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Panama was 16.6% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 2019.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 2021.
- How does Panama rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Panama ranks 25th out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release