Democracy Index in Panama
Panama: Democracy Index was 9 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 168 countries
All-time high
9
in 1994
All-time low
-8
in 1987
Years of data
116
1903–2018
Democracy Index in Panama, 1903–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in Panama is 9, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 116 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Panama peaked at 9 in 1994 and was at its lowest, -8, in 1987.
That places Panama 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | -3 | — |
| 1904 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -1 | -66.7% |
| 1950 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | 4 | -500.0% |
| 1956 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | -7 | -275.0% |
| 1969 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1979 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -5 | -16.7% |
| 1983 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -6 | +20.0% |
| 1985 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -8 | +33.3% |
| 1988 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 8 | -200.0% |
| 1990 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 1995 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10, 90% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Panama's 9 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 7 |
| 1910s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1920s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1930s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1940s | -2.8 | -3 | -1 | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.5 | -1 | 4 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.8 | -7 | 4 | 10 |
| 1970s | -6.8 | -7 | -6 | 10 |
| 1980s | -4.8 | -8 | 8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 33 Albania 9 compare
- 33 Argentina 9 compare
- 33 Bulgaria 9 compare
- 33 Croatia 9 compare
- 33 Czechia 9 compare
- 33 Estonia 9 compare
- 33 India 9 compare
- 33 Indonesia 9 compare
- 33 Jamaica 9 compare
- 33 Kenya 9 compare
- 33 Moldova 9 compare
- 33 Montenegro 9 compare
- 33 North Macedonia 9 compare
- 33 Paraguay 9 compare
- 33 Peru 9 compare
- 33 Romania 9 compare
- 33 South Africa 9 compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 9 compare
More social development data for Panama
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,694 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0006 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Panama?
- Democracy index in Panama was 9 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 1994.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was -8 in 1987.
- How does Panama rank for democracy index?
- Panama ranks 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 116 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).