Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Panama
Panama: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 27.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line 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. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Panama recorded 27.0% for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Panama peaked at 39.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 2021.
Panama ranks 36th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Panama, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 33.5% | — |
| 1989 | 39.4% | +17.6% |
| 1991 | 37.6% | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 35.8% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 35.2% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 34.0% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 33.7% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 33.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 35.5% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 34.0% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 33.4% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 33.5% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 33.3% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 32.2% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 29.9% | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 28.9% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 28.4% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 28.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 27.9% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 28.1% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 28.0% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 27.5% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 26.6% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 26.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 26.0% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 26.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 27.0% | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.5% | 33.5% | 33.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 39.4% | 39.4% | 39.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.3% | 33.7% | 37.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 32.8% | 28.9% | 35.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.6% | 26.6% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.4% | 26.0% | 27.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 35 Mauritania 27.6% compare
- 37 Ecuador 26.3% compare
- 38 Brazil 26.2% compare
- 39 Tajikistan 26.0% compare
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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Panama?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Panama was 27.0% 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 poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 1989.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 2021.
- How does Panama rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Panama ranks 36th out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. 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 Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). 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
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.