Judicial Corruption Score in Panama
Panama: Judicial Corruption Score was 0.213 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.213
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
88th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.213
in 2021
All-time low
-1.07
in 1903
Years of data
123
1903–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Panama, 1903–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, judicial corruption score in Panama stood at 0.213. That is the highest value across all 123 years on record.
The figure is up 180.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Panama peaked at 0.213 in 2021 and was at its lowest, -1.07, in 1903.
Panama ranks 88th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | -1.07 | — |
| 1904 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -1.07 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -0.904 | -15.8% |
| 1969 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.904 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.264 | -70.8% |
| 1991 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -0.264 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.13 | -149.2% |
| 2019 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.213 | +63.8% |
| 2022 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 0.213 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.71, 12% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Panama's 0.213 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.213, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 7 |
| 1910s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 10 |
| 1920s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 10 |
| 1930s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 10 |
| 1940s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.07 | -1.07 | -1.07 | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.04 | -1.07 | -0.904 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.904 | -0.904 | -0.904 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.904 | -0.904 | -0.904 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.264 | -0.264 | -0.264 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.264 | -0.264 | -0.264 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1852 | -0.264 | 0.13 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1992 | 0.13 | 0.213 | 6 |
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 judicial corruption score in Panama?
- Judicial corruption score in Panama was 0.213 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 0.213 in 2021.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.07 in 1903.
- How does Panama rank for judicial corruption score?
- Panama ranks 88th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 180.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 123 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.