Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO) in Panama
Panama: Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO) was 4 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 223 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1970
All-time low
3 years
in 2013
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Panama, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Panama recorded 4 years for official entrance age to pre-primary education in 2025.
The figure is up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in Panama peaked at 5 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 2013.
Panama ranks 14th of 223 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to pre-primary education (Official UNESCO) in Panama, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5 years | — |
| 1971 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 years | -20.0% |
| 1999 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | -25.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2017 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 4 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 3 years, 1.3× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Panama's 4 years is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3 years, 1.3× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.8 years | 4 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7 years | 3 years | 4 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 14 Aruba 4 years compare
- 14 Benin 4 years compare
- 14 Bermuda 4 years compare
- 14 Bolivia 4 years compare
- 14 Brazil 4 years compare
- 14 Cameroon 4 years compare
- 14 Costa Rica 4 years compare
- 14 Djibouti 4 years compare
- 14 Egypt 4 years compare
- 14 El Salvador 4 years compare
- 14 Equatorial Guinea 4 years compare
- 14 Eritrea 4 years compare
- 14 Ethiopia 4 years compare
- 14 Falkland Islands 4 years compare
- 14 Ghana 4 years compare
- 14 Greece 4 years compare
- 14 Guatemala 4 years compare
- 14 Guinea 4 years compare
- 14 Guyana 4 years compare
- 14 Iraq 4 years compare
- 14 Jordan 4 years compare
- 14 Kuwait 4 years compare
- 14 Libya 4 years compare
- 14 Malaysia 4 years compare
- 14 Maldives 4 years compare
- 14 Mali 4 years compare
- 14 Morocco 4 years compare
- 14 Nauru 4 years compare
- 14 Niger 4 years compare
- 14 Niue 4 years compare
- 14 Oman 4 years compare
- 14 Palestine 4 years compare
- 14 Saint Helena 4 years compare
- 14 Seychelles 4 years compare
- 14 Sudan 4 years compare
- 14 Suriname 4 years compare
- 14 Switzerland 4 years compare
- 14 Tonga 4 years compare
- 14 Turks and Caicos Islands 4 years compare
- 14 United Arab Emirates 4 years compare
- 14 Vanuatu 4 years compare
- 14 Western Sahara 4 years compare
- 14 Zimbabwe 4 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 official entrance age to pre-primary education in Panama?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Panama was 4 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 2013.
- How does Panama rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Panama ranks 14th out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. 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 Official entrance age to pre-primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.