Freedom of Association Score in Panama
Panama: Freedom of Association Score was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom of Association Score in Panama, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Panama recorded 6 for freedom of association score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association score in Panama peaked at 9 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6, in 2025.
That places Panama 46th out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Freedom of Association Score in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | — |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 8 | -11.1% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | -14.3% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 6 is below the median for high income countries, which is 8, 75% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Panama's 6 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7, 86% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.33 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.67 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Panama
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 freedom of association score in Panama?
- Freedom of association score in Panama was 6 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association score recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2009.
- What is the lowest freedom of association score recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 2025.
- How does Panama rank for freedom of association score?
- Panama ranks 46th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association score rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of Association Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which residents and civic groups are free from government interference to associate and assemble.