Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama
Panama: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 3.37 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama, 1979–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2024, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama stood at 3.37 million people. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama peaked at 3.37 million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 771,521 people, in 1979.
Panama ranks 76th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 771,521 people | — |
| 1989 | 793,200 people | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 885,267 people | +11.6% |
| 1995 | 1.19 million people | +34.0% |
| 1997 | 1.22 million people | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 1.23 million people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.32 million people | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 1.40 million people | +5.8% |
| 2001 | 1.31 million people | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 1.41 million people | +7.6% |
| 2003 | 1.47 million people | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 1.55 million people | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 1.58 million people | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.61 million people | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.78 million people | +10.8% |
| 2008 | 2.08 million people | +16.9% |
| 2009 | 2.14 million people | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 2.25 million people | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 2.46 million people | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 2.50 million people | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 2.58 million people | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 2.71 million people | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 2.86 million people | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 2.97 million people | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 3.04 million people | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.20 million people | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 3.26 million people | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 3.22 million people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 3.33 million people | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 3.37 million people | +1.4% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 3.37 million people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.01 million people, 37% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Panama's 3.37 million people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.45 million people, 40% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +34.0% | 885,267 people | 1.19 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 771,521 people | 771,521 people | 771,521 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 793,200 people | 793,200 people | 793,200 people | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.17 million people | 885,267 people | 1.32 million people | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.63 million people | 1.31 million people | 2.14 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.78 million people | 2.25 million people | 3.26 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.31 million people | 3.22 million people | 3.37 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More poverty & inequality data for Panama
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.12 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,226 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -5.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.5 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Panama was 3.37 million people in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 3.37 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 771,521 people in 1979.
- How does Panama rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Panama ranks 76th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $10 per day.