Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in Panama
Panama: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) was 6.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Panama, 1974–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Panama stood at 6.7%.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 79.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Panama peaked at 14.0% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2013.
Panama ranks 56th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 5.2% | — |
| 1975 | 4.9% | -6.7% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 7.1% | +36.4% |
| 1978 | 6.2% | -13.3% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | +8.5% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 7.7% | +22.5% |
| 1984 | 8.2% | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 9.5% | +15.0% |
| 1986 | 8.7% | -8.3% |
| 1987 | 9.4% | +8.2% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | +48.7% |
| 1989 | 13.7% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 10.4% | -24.1% |
| 1991 | 12.8% | +23.5% |
| 1992 | 10.8% | -15.8% |
| 1993 | 9.7% | -10.1% |
| 1994 | 10.7% | +9.9% |
| 1995 | 10.8% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 11.3% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 10.7% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 8.9% | -13.7% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | +24.7% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | +10.7% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | -8.7% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 9.5% | -10.2% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | -14.4% |
| 2006 | 7.2% | -11.4% |
| 2007 | 5.3% | -26.7% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -23.9% |
| 2010 | 4.7% | +18.3% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | -24.5% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | -13.0% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | +20.0% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +7.8% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | +22.3% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +159.1% |
| 2021 | 10.1% | -25.9% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -28.3% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | -26.7% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | +24.9% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | +1.5% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 6.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 1.4× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Panama's 6.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.2%, 1.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +159.1% | 5.2% | 13.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 4.9% | 7.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 9.7% | 6.3% | 14.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 10.6% | 8.9% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.8% | 4.0% | 12.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.0% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 5.3% | 13.6% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Panama?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Panama was 6.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 14.0% in 1988.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2013.
- How does Panama rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Panama ranks 56th out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.