Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama
Panama: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama is 2.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.8% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama peaked at 4.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2023.
That places Panama 169th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 8 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More reference data data for Panama
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0354 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.12 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.12 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.12 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.839 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.2634 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 52.43 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 64.57 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.4411 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 70.42 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Panama was 2.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2023.
- How does Panama rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Panama ranks 169th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. 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 Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.