Labor force participation rate in Panama
Panama: Labor force participation rate was 66.3 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
66.3
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
51st
of 186 countries
All-time high
68.51
in 2019
All-time low
54.47
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Panama, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate in Panama stood at 66.3.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Panama peaked at 68.51 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 54.47, in 1990.
That places Panama 51st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 54.47 | — |
| 1991 | 57.82 | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 59 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 60.14 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 60.5 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 61.31 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 61.48 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 61.63 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 62.85 | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 62.67 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 63 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 63.32 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 63.64 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 63.8 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 64.39 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 64.54 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 63.71 | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 64.08 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 65.66 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 63.52 | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 64.88 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 63.01 | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 64.96 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 65.74 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 65.7 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 65.65 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 66.19 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 65.87 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 67.57 | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 68.51 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 66.4 | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 62.8 | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 66.32 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 65.14 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 66.32 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | 66.3 | -0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 66.3 is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Panama's 66.3 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 63.14, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.19 | 54.47 | 62.85 | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.97 | 63 | 65.66 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.81 | 63.01 | 68.51 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.55 | 62.8 | 66.4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More work & labour data for Panama
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.192 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1956 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1888 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,652 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,175 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,950 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,955 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,905 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Panama?
- Labor force participation rate in Panama was 66.3 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 68.51 in 2019.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.47 in 1990.
- How does Panama rank for labor force participation rate?
- Panama ranks 51st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).