Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama
Panama: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 61.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama is 61.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama peaked at 66.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 35.3%, in 1999.
That places Panama 97th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 35.3% | — |
| 2000 | 42.1% | +19.2% |
| 2001 | 46.9% | +11.4% |
| 2002 | 50.3% | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 50.7% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 54.3% | +7.1% |
| 2006 | 58.6% | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 60.3% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 59.6% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 55.3% | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 57.6% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 57.3% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 64.4% | +12.4% |
| 2013 | 45.2% | -29.7% |
| 2014 | 45.6% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 46.6% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 61.4% | +31.7% |
| 2017 | 62.2% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 62.7% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 66.3% | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 57.1% | -13.8% |
| 2024 | 61.6% | +7.9% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 61.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 71% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Panama's 61.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 68.8%, 90% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.3% | 35.3% | 35.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 53.1% | 42.1% | 60.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 55.0% | 45.2% | 64.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 61.9% | 57.1% | 66.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 94 Barbados 65.6% compare
- 95 El Salvador 64.7% compare
- 96 Guyana 64.6% compare
- 98 United States 61.2% compare
- 99 Algeria 61.2% compare
- 100 Dominican Republic 60.8% 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 enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Panama was 61.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.3% in 1999.
- How does Panama rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Panama ranks 97th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. 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 enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.