Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Panama
Panama: Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 8.31 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Panama, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Panama recorded 8.31 for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and up 88.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Panama peaked at 18.55 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.4, in 2015.
That places Panama 18th out of 74 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 4.44 | — |
| 2015 | 4.4 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 4.84 | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 5.46 | +12.8% |
| 2018 | 5.31 | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 6.41 | +20.6% |
| 2020 | 18.55 | +189.4% |
| 2021 | 10.29 | -44.5% |
| 2022 | 8.28 | -19.5% |
| 2023 | 6.68 | -19.4% |
| 2024 | 8.61 | +28.9% |
| 2025 | 8.31 | -3.5% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 8.31 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.87, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Panama's 8.31 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.34, 1.3× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.15 | 4.4 | 6.41 | 6 |
| 2020s | 10.12 | 6.68 | 18.55 | 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 rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Panama?
- Unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Panama was 8.31 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 18.55 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4 in 2015.
- How does Panama rank for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Panama ranks 18th out of 74 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 88.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.