Share of children who have completed primary school in Panama
Panama: Share of children who have completed primary school was 95.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Panama, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Panama recorded 95.1% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Panama peaked at 95.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 85.2%, in 1981.
Panama ranks 96th of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 85.2% | — |
| 1982 | 85.4% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 85.5% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 85.5% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 85.7% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 85.8% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 85.9% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 86.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 86.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 87.1% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 87.8% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 88.3% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 88.8% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 89.2% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 89.6% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 90.4% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 90.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 91.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 91.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 91.6% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 91.9% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 92.3% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 92.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 92.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 93.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 93.5% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 93.9% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 94.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.4% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 95.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.6%, 96% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Panama's 95.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.7%, 98% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 85.6% | 85.2% | 86.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 87.2% | 86.0% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 90.8% | 89.2% | 92.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.5% | 92.6% | 94.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.8% | 94.4% | 95.1% | 6 |
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 share of children who have completed primary school in Panama?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Panama was 95.1% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 95.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.2% in 1981.
- How does Panama rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Panama ranks 96th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.