Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Panama
Panama: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median was 17.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Panama, 1979–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Panama is 17.1%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.1% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Panama peaked at 25.9% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2021.
Panama ranks 2nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in Panama, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 17.2% | — |
| 1989 | 25.9% | +50.4% |
| 1991 | 24.6% | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 23.6% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 21.9% | -7.1% |
| 1998 | 21.7% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 20.5% | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 20.2% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 22.7% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 20.9% | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 20.3% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 20.2% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 19.4% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 19.8% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 19.1% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 17.7% | -7.5% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 17.5% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 17.1% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 16.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 17.7% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 17.0% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 16.8% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | -9.3% |
| 2023 | 15.8% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 17.1% | +8.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.2% | 17.2% | 17.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 25.9% | 25.9% | 25.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 20.5% | 24.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 17.1% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 16.6% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.2% | 17.1% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Panama?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in Panama was 17.1% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 1989.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2021.
- How does Panama rank for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- Panama ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 40% of the median.