Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Panama
Panama: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 96.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Panama, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Panama is 96.9%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Panama peaked at 115.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 93.3%, in 2019.
Panama ranks 146th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 100.5% | — |
| 1971 | 109.6% | +9.0% |
| 1972 | 113.0% | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 114.7% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 115.2% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 114.9% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 114.2% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 112.6% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 111.7% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 109.0% | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 106.8% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 104.9% | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 104.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 103.5% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 104.1% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 104.0% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 104.5% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 104.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 103.2% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 103.4% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 102.0% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 100.1% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 99.4% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 99.1% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 98.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 98.2% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 99.9% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 103.5% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 104.7% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 106.0% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 108.2% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 107.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 108.9% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 108.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 108.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 109.9% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 108.6% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 106.6% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 105.5% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 104.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 103.1% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 102.1% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 99.1% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 96.2% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 93.4% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 94.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 93.3% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 95.2% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 100.9% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 101.6% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 95.2% | -6.3% |
| 2024 | 96.9% | +1.8% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 96.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 97% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Panama's 96.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 99.5%, 97% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 111.5% | 100.5% | 115.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 104.3% | 103.2% | 106.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 100.0% | 98.2% | 103.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 107.7% | 104.7% | 109.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 93.3% | 105.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 98.0% | 95.2% | 101.6% | 5 |
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Panama?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Panama was 96.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 115.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.3% in 2019.
- How does Panama rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Panama ranks 146th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. 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 Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.