Labor force, total in Panama
Panama: Labor force, total was 2.29 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Panama, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
Panama recorded 2.29 million for labor force, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Panama peaked at 2.29 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 855,036, in 1990.
Panama ranks 123rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.07 million | 855,036 | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.45 million | 1.28 million | 1.61 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.86 million | 1.65 million | 2.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.17 million | 2.02 million | 2.29 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 120 Congo 2.64 million compare
- 121 Libya 2.62 million compare
- 122 Costa Rica 2.43 million compare
- 124 Turkmenistan 2.20 million compare
- 125 Qatar 2.20 million compare
- 126 Central African Republic 2.08 million compare
More education data for Panama
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 96.9% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 19,072 (2017)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.3% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 96.6% (2024)
- Labor force, female 41.8% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9892 GPI (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Panama?
- Labor force, total in Panama was 2.29 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 2.29 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 855,036 in 1990.
- How does Panama rank for labor force, total?
- Panama ranks 123rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.