Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama
Panama: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 92.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama stood at 92.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama peaked at 99.9% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1820.
Panama ranks 144th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.5% | — |
| 1825 | 0.6% | +27.7% |
| 1830 | 0.8% | +26.7% |
| 1835 | 1.0% | +27.6% |
| 1840 | 1.2% | +27.8% |
| 1845 | 1.6% | +28.2% |
| 1850 | 2.0% | +27.0% |
| 1855 | 2.6% | +27.2% |
| 1860 | 3.3% | +27.2% |
| 1865 | 4.2% | +26.9% |
| 1870 | 5.2% | +26.5% |
| 1875 | 6.6% | +26.1% |
| 1880 | 8.3% | +25.8% |
| 1885 | 10.4% | +25.1% |
| 1890 | 13.0% | +24.4% |
| 1895 | 16.0% | +23.5% |
| 1900 | 19.6% | +22.5% |
| 1905 | 23.8% | +21.4% |
| 1910 | 24.7% | +3.8% |
| 1915 | 22.5% | -9.1% |
| 1920 | 37.6% | +67.3% |
| 1925 | 45.5% | +21.1% |
| 1930 | 53.5% | +17.4% |
| 1935 | 49.4% | -7.7% |
| 1940 | 58.9% | +19.4% |
| 1945 | 56.2% | -4.6% |
| 1950 | 72.0% | +28.0% |
| 1955 | 78.6% | +9.2% |
| 1960 | 81.0% | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 85.0% | +4.9% |
| 1970 | 75.1% | -11.7% |
| 1971 | 82.9% | +10.4% |
| 1972 | 85.1% | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 86.9% | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 88.4% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 88.2% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 90.7% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 89.7% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 89.0% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 88.1% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 87.6% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 86.9% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 87.8% | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 87.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 88.7% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 87.5% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 88.4% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 87.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 93.2% | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 94.5% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 96.0% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 98.4% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 99.9% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 99.5% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 99.9% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.5% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 96.7% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 97.1% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 95.9% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 95.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 94.1% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 92.1% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 89.9% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 87.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 87.9% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 90.2% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 96.5% | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 97.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 91.1% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 92.3% | +1.3% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 92.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 94% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Panama's 92.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 97% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | +67.3% | 22.5% | 37.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1850s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1860s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 5.9% | 5.2% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 9.4% | 8.3% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 14.5% | 13.0% | 16.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 21.7% | 19.6% | 23.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 23.6% | 22.5% | 24.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 41.6% | 37.6% | 45.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 51.4% | 49.4% | 53.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 57.6% | 56.2% | 58.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 75.3% | 72.0% | 78.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 83.0% | 81.0% | 85.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 85.9% | 75.1% | 90.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 87.9% | 86.9% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.5% | 87.8% | 93.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.3% | 94.5% | 99.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 92.4% | 87.3% | 97.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 93.4% | 90.2% | 97.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 141 Trinidad and Tobago 92.8% compare
- 142 Colombia 92.7% compare
- 143 New Caledonia 92.6% compare
- 145 Kazakhstan 92.1% compare
- 146 Guatemala 91.6% compare
- 147 Niue 91.6% 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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Panama was 92.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1820.
- How does Panama rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Panama ranks 144th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.