School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Panama
Panama: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 10.28 years in 2017. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Panama, 1970–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2017, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Panama stood at 10.28 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Panama peaked at 10.67 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 8.52 years, in 1970.
Panama ranks 143rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Panama, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.52 years | — |
| 1971 | 9.23 years | +8.2% |
| 1972 | 9.7 years | +5.1% |
| 1973 | 10.06 years | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 10.03 years | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 10.37 years | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 10.48 years | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 10.33 years | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 10.52 years | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 10.36 years | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 10.12 years | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 9.94 years | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 9.81 years | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 9.67 years | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 9.71 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 9.65 years | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 9.66 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 9.65 years | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 9.55 years | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 9.55 years | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 9.6 years | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 9.53 years | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 9.56 years | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 9.65 years | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 9.62 years | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 9.72 years | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 9.87 years | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 10.17 years | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 10.26 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 10.46 years | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 10.65 years | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 10.62 years | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 10.55 years | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 10.53 years | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 10.62 years | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 10.61 years | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 10.58 years | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 10.55 years | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 10.67 years | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 10.48 years | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 10.34 years | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 10.52 years | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.28 years | -2.3% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 10.28 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 12.49 years, 82% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Panama's 10.28 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.64 years, 88% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.96 years | 8.52 years | 10.52 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.73 years | 9.55 years | 10.12 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.71 years | 9.53 years | 10.17 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.54 years | 10.26 years | 10.65 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.49 years | 10.28 years | 10.67 years | 7 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More education data for Panama
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 92.75 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 92.3 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Panama?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Panama was 10.28 years in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 10.67 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.52 years in 1970.
- How does Panama rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Panama ranks 143rd out of 197 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.