The rate of adult literacy as share of the country's population 15 years and above in Panama amounted to 96 percent in 2019. In a steady upward trend, the rate of adult literacy rose by eight percentage points from 1980.

Panama: Literacy rate: The latest value from 2019 is 96 percent, an increase from 95 percent in 2018. In comparison, the world average is 83.95 percent, based on data from 40 countries. Historically, the average for Panama from 1980 to 2019 is 92.33 percent. The minimum value, 88 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 96 percent was recorded in 2019.

Actual value and historical data chart for Panama Literacy Rate Adult Total Percent Of People Ages 15 And Above

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Panama (SEADTLITRZSPAN) from 1980 to 2024 about Panama, literacy, adult, and rate.

Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data was reported at 97.337 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.623 % for 2000. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 95.953 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2010, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.337 % in 2010 and a record low of 94.778 % in 1990. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth Female: % of Females Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Historical dataset showing Panama literacy rate by year from 1980 to 2019.

Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 94.094 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 91.900 % for 2000. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 90.340 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2010, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.094 % in 2010 and a record low of 88.072 % in 1980. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Panama Adult Literacy Rate, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1980-12-31 to 2019-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

The youth literacy rate (people aged 15-24) in Panama amounted to 99.34 percent in 2022. Between 1980 and 2022, the youth literacy rate rose by 3.34 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Panama was reported at 97.29 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Panama - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Panama: Youth literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2022 is 99.34 percent, an increase from 99.25 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 90.52 percent, based on data from 65 countries. Historically, the average for Panama from 1980 to 2022 is 97.97 percent. The minimum value, 95 percent, was reached in 1990 while the maximum of 99.34 percent was recorded in 2022.

Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 97.639 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 96.080 % for 2000. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 96.093 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2010, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.639 % in 2010 and a record low of 95.087 % in 1990. Panama PA: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Panama PA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data was reported at 0.994 Ratio in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.991 Ratio for 2000. Panama PA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 0.994 Ratio from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2010, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.004 Ratio in 1980 and a record low of 0.991 Ratio in 2000. Panama PA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Literacy Rate: Youth Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Panama – Table PA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for youth literacy rate is the ratio of females to males ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Actual value and historical data chart for Panama Literacy Rate Youth Male Percent Of Males Ages 15 24

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in Panama was reported at 99.42 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Panama - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Panama: Male literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2022 is 99.38 percent, an increase from 99.26 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 91.06 percent, based on data from 65 countries. Historically, the average for Panama from 1980 to 2022 is 98.17 percent. The minimum value, 95 percent, was reached in 1990 while the maximum of 99.38 percent was recorded in 2022.

Actual value and historical data chart for Panama Elderly Literacy Rate Population 65 Years Both Sexes Percent

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in Panama was reported at 85.02 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Panama - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Panama was reported at 84.89 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Panama - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

National and international tests have yielded low reading comprehension results for education in Panama, although there is limited information regarding literacy development and performance. There are wide gaps in social inequality, access to technology, and public versus private school achievement. Considering this, after a year off from regular face-to-face classes and a partial transition to online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study utilizes existing data to carry out a pre-post comparison of the reading performance of fourth (n = 167) and sixth (n = 164) grade students in the province of Panama employing a subsample stratified by educational system for comparability (Mann–Whitney U test, α = 0.05). The pre-post comparison was also carried out independently in both the public (n = 235) and private (n = 106) systems, as well as an additional comparison of the average weekly hours of online academic engagement in both systems during the pandemic in fourth (n = 117) and sixth grade (n = 109). The results support a significant decrease in reading performance. Based on the comparative analysis, findings indicate that public school students interacted online with their teachers significantly less than their private schools’ counterparts; and that, in the same sample, only the public-school students exhibited a significant decrease in reading speed by phonological and lexical route with a medium effect size compared to pre-pandemic standards, greater than those reported in other contexts. This highlights the need to develop effective strategies to narrow the existing educational gaps in the country, which seem to have widened due to the pandemic, with particular emphasis on reading performance in primary school.