Political Rights Rating in Panama
Panama: Political Rights Rating was 2 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1972
All-time low
1
in 1999
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Panama, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Panama recorded 2 for political rights rating in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Panama peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1999.
That places Panama 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Political Rights Rating in Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7 | — |
| 1973 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1978 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1985 | 6 | +50.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1988 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 4 | -42.9% |
| 1991 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2014 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Panama's 2 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.38 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.33 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.6 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 115 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia 2 compare
- 115 Botswana 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 East Timor 2 compare
- 115 Ghana 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Malawi 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Nauru 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 South Africa 2 compare
- 115 South Korea 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 2 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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.35 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Panama?
- Political rights rating in Panama was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1999.
- How does Panama rank for political rights rating?
- Panama ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating 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 Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.