Distribution of Democracy Index in Panama
Panama: Distribution of Democracy Index was 19 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
19
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 168 countries
All-time high
19
in 1994
All-time low
2
in 1987
Years of data
116
1903–2018
Distribution of Democracy Index in Panama, 1903–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Panama is 19, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 116 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Panama peaked at 19 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1987.
Panama ranks 33rd of 168 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 7 | — |
| 1904 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 9 | +28.6% |
| 1950 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 14 | +55.6% |
| 1956 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | -78.6% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1979 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1985 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 | -50.0% |
| 1988 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 18 | +800.0% |
| 1990 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19 | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 19 is below the median for high income countries, which is 20, 95% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Panama's 19 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 1910s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1920s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1930s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1940s | 7.2 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| 1950s | 11.5 | 9 | 14 | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.8 | 3 | 14 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.2 | 2 | 18 | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.6 | 18 | 19 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 33 Albania 19 compare
- 33 Argentina 19 compare
- 33 Bulgaria 19 compare
- 33 Croatia 19 compare
- 33 Czechia 19 compare
- 33 Estonia 19 compare
- 33 India 19 compare
- 33 Indonesia 19 compare
- 33 Jamaica 19 compare
- 33 Kenya 19 compare
- 33 Moldova 19 compare
- 33 Montenegro 19 compare
- 33 North Macedonia 19 compare
- 33 Paraguay 19 compare
- 33 Peru 19 compare
- 33 Romania 19 compare
- 33 South Africa 19 compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 19 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 distribution of democracy index in Panama?
- Distribution of democracy index in Panama was 19 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 19 in 1994.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1987.
- How does Panama rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Panama ranks 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).