Income share held by highest 20% in Panama
Panama: Income share held by highest 20% was 54.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Income share held by highest 20% in Panama, 1979–2024
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
Analysis
In 2024, income share held by highest 20% in Panama stood at 54.3%.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share held by highest 20% in Panama peaked at 61.2% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 53.4%, in 1979.
That places Panama 7th out of 123 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Income share held by highest 20% in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 53.4% | — |
| 1989 | 60.8% | +13.9% |
| 1991 | 60.5% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 60.4% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 61.2% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 60.5% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 59.8% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 60.1% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 59.9% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 59.8% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 59.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 58.7% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 57.7% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 58.4% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 56.6% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 57.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 56.4% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 56.0% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 55.8% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 56.1% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 56.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 54.8% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 55.3% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 54.8% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 54.2% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 53.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 54.4% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 55.6% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 53.5% | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 54.3% | +1.5% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 54.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.9%, 1.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Panama's 54.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 49.7%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.4% | 53.4% | 53.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 60.8% | 60.8% | 60.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 60.5% | 59.8% | 61.2% | 5 |
| 2000s | 58.4% | 56.4% | 60.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.1% | 53.6% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.5% | 53.5% | 55.6% | 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 income share held by highest 20% in Panama?
- Income share held by highest 20% in Panama was 54.3% in 2024, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest income share held by highest 20% recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 61.2% in 1997.
- What is the lowest income share held by highest 20% recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.4% in 1979.
- How does Panama rank for income share held by highest 20%?
- Panama ranks 7th out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is income share held by highest 20% rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Income share held by highest 20%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.