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Panama's economy ranking: GDP & GDP per capita, debt

Updated on by Georank team

Panama ranked 77/197 by economy size with a GDP of $86.3B and 61/197 by GDP per capita at $19,103. Panama has $48.8B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 58.1%.

In 2025, Panama made up 0.08% of the world's economy, compared to 0.04% in 1960.

The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.

GDP, current $
GDP, constant 2015 $
GDP growth
Year GDP GDP growth
Current $ Constant $
1960 $537,147,100 $3,163,056,542 -
1961 $599,026,300 $3,508,670,914 11.5%
1962 $652,120,900 $3,797,951,597 8.86%
1963 $722,784,500 $4,122,250,662 10.8%
1964 $776,137,500 $4,304,954,186 7.38%
1965 $852,485,300 $4,699,289,550 9.84%
1966 $928,833,000 $5,055,561,577 8.96%
1967 $1,034,376,400 $5,487,960,279 11.4%
1968 $1,112,791,100 $5,870,876,596 7.58%
1969 $1,221,305,700 $6,366,460,137 9.75%
1970 $1,351,006,400 $6,809,516,493 10.6%
1971 $1,523,917,200 $7,464,328,967 12.8%
1972 $1,673,411,700 $7,806,405,169 9.81%
1973 $1,913,793,400 $8,225,164,958 14.4%
1974 $2,188,307,600 $8,426,543,281 14.3%
1975 $2,435,304,100 $8,573,242,611 11.3%
1976 $2,588,106,000 $8,715,940,922 6.27%
1977 $2,738,261,900 $8,811,295,572 5.8%
1978 $3,244,558,600 $9,674,154,373 18.5%
1979 $3,704,551,600 $10,110,918,361 14.2%
1980 $4,614,086,400 $11,433,879,627 24.6%
1981 $5,222,421,500 $12,486,575,137 13.2%
1982 $5,769,767,900 $13,154,414,169 10.5%
1983 $5,923,755,900 $12,563,601,501 2.67%
1984 $6,183,387,100 $12,904,008,989 4.38%
1985 $6,541,517,100 $13,541,755,263 5.79%
1986 $6,797,834,200 $14,024,896,413 3.92%
1987 $6,827,665,300 $13,771,178,256 0.44%
1988 $5,902,783,400 $11,928,616,118 -13.5%
1989 $5,918,469,800 $12,114,970,567 0.27%
1990 $6,433,967,000 $13,096,161,186 8.71%
1991 $7,074,675,500 $14,329,689,364 9.96%
1992 $8,042,337,700 $15,504,964,654 13.7%
1993 $8,782,585,400 $16,350,875,888 9.2%
1994 $9,365,289,800 $16,816,899,903 6.63%
1995 $9,573,813,700 $17,111,477,972 2.23%
1996 $9,197,503,300 $16,124,998,545 -3.93%
1997 $10,058,854,400 $17,368,081,133 9.37%
1998 $11,019,557,700 $18,824,824,096 9.55%
1999 $11,660,704,800 $19,805,907,259 5.82%
2000 $11,966,497,000 $20,639,538,981 2.62%
2001 $12,252,906,300 $20,835,595,644 2.39%
2002 $12,800,851,300 $21,358,328,178 4.47%
2003 $13,603,456,000 $22,446,932,329 6.27%
2004 $15,100,203,400 $24,282,115,702 11%
2005 $16,623,906,700 $26,291,748,117 10.1%
2006 $18,659,721,500 $28,883,388,489 12.2%
2007 $21,717,433,800 $32,682,439,460 16.4%
2008 $25,721,328,000 $36,015,209,193 18.4%
2009 $27,791,215,500 $36,595,725,406 8.05%
2010 $30,231,009,500 $38,818,327,826 8.78%
2011 $35,687,738,300 $43,441,154,828 18.1%
2012 $41,595,439,700 $47,623,362,287 16.6%
2013 $46,949,496,500 $50,635,232,251 12.9%
2014 $51,427,104,900 $52,977,523,790 9.54%
2015 $55,767,806,100 $55,767,806,100 8.44%
2016 $59,760,858,700 $58,317,491,836 7.16%
2017 $64,327,688,800 $61,667,283,244 7.64%
2018 $67,316,471,200 $64,083,529,549 4.65%
2019 $69,778,991,200 $66,072,084,975 3.66%
2020 $57,059,846,500 $54,297,226,766 -18.2%
2021 $67,396,392,500 $63,238,418,925 18.1%
2022 $76,276,116,700 $70,048,985,345 13.2%
2023 $83,318,176,900 $75,232,121,008 9.23%
2024 $86,260,400,000 $77,385,013,513 3.53%

Economic Statistics of Panama

Panama Rank
Gross domestic product
$86.3B
2024
77/197
GDP growth
3.53%
2023-2024
137/196
GDP per capita
$19,103
2024
61/197
GDP per capita, PPP
$41,405
2024
55/197
Government debt
$48.8B
2024
75/185
Debt-to-GDP ratio
58.1%
2025
91/185
Government debt per person
$10,816
2024
55/185
Average annual personal income after taxes
$10,503
2025
71/197
Listed domestic companies
36
2024
79/103
Market capitalization of domestic companies
$18.3B
2024
62/100
Income share by richest 10%
37.6%
2024
12/169
Income share by poorest 10%
1.2%
2024
164/169
Government expenditure, % of GDP
21.8%
2025
146/195
Consumer prices inflation
0.69%
2023-2024
179/195
Unemployment rate
8.61%
2024
49/196
Population
4614993
128/197

Panama's GDP per capita

Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,103, ranking 61/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $41,405, ranking 55/197, and a median annual after tax income of $10,503, ranking 71/197.

GDP per capita
GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1960 $477 -
1961 $516 -
1962 $546 -
1963 $587 -
1964 $611 -
1965 $651 -
1966 $689 -
1967 $745 -
1968 $778 -
1969 $830 -
1970 $893 -
1971 $979 -
1972 $1,046 -
1973 $1,164 -
1974 $1,296 -
1975 $1,406 -
1976 $1,457 -
1977 $1,503 -
1978 $1,738 -
1979 $1,938 -
1980 $2,357 -
1981 $2,605 -
1982 $2,811 -
1983 $2,819 -
1984 $2,875 -
1985 $2,972 -
1986 $3,019 -
1987 $2,966 -
1988 $2,509 -
1989 $2,462 -
1990 $2,620 $5,137
1991 $2,821 $5,688
1992 $3,140 $6,165
1993 $3,358 $6,518
1994 $3,508 $6,708
1995 $3,514 $6,828
1996 $3,308 $6,421
1997 $3,546 $6,895
1998 $3,808 $7,408
1999 $3,950 $7,749
2000 $3,975 $8,097
2001 $3,992 $8,197
2002 $4,091 $8,370
2003 $4,265 $8,801
2004 $4,645 $9,592
2005 $5,018 $10,511
2006 $5,529 $11,685
2007 $6,318 $13,333
2008 $7,348 $14,705
2009 $7,797 $14,766
2010 $8,331 $15,573
2011 $9,662 $17,474
2012 $11,065 $19,473
2013 $12,273 $21,924
2014 $13,213 $24,376
2015 $14,083 $27,245
2016 $14,832 $30,277
2017 $15,695 $33,533
2018 $16,151 $32,464
2019 $16,478 $33,240
2020 $13,291 $27,017
2021 $15,510 $30,933
2022 $17,332 $36,245
2023 $18,686 $39,803
2024 $19,103 $41,405

Panama's government spending, deficit, and chart

This chart shows Panama's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.

Over the past 50 years, Panama recorded a fiscal deficit in 42 years — average annual deficit equal to -3.35% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $19.7B (21.8% of GDP), with a deficit of -3.95%.

The national debt reached $48.8B, ranking 75th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 58.1%, ranking 91st.

Government spending
Government debt
Deficit/surplus
Year % of GDP
Government spending Government debt Government deficit/surplus
1946 16.9% 8.69% -3.19%
1947 15% 8.68% -1.94%
1948 13.7% 10.1% -1.21%
1949 13.3% 10.6% -1%
1950 16.1% 12.8% -3.89%
1951 14.7% 13.1% -2.54%
1952 15.8% 14.9% -3.84%
1953 14.1% 14.1% -0.55%
1954 14.1% 13.5% -0.2%
1955 15% 13.3% -1.33%
1956 17.2% 15.3% -3.69%
1957 13.5% 14.3% -0.89%
1958 15.5% 16.5% -1.62%
1959 16.5% 18.8% -3.79%
1960 16.6% 21% -3.05%
1961 18.9% 20.5% -5.45%
1962 16.4% 19.8% -3.01%
1963 19.1% 22.6% -6.71%
1964 14.1% 20% -2.51%
1965 13.2% 18.7% -1.17%
1966 14% 17.9% -1.18%
1967 14.9% 17.8% -1.97%
1968 14.2% 18% -1.5%
1969 20.5% 23.2% -7.56%
1970 22.4% 25.7% -8.02%
1971 15% 26.2% -0.51%
1972 15.6% 29.5% -1.17%
1973 14.4% 32.6% -0.01%
1974 15.3% 37.6% -0.6%
1975 15.3% 52.6% -0.74%
1976 15.9% 69.7% -2.65%
1977 16.9% 77.7% -1.61%
1978 27.6% 83.1% -5.21%
1979 35% 78.9% -12.1%
1980 30.5% 69.4% -5.17%
1981 30.7% 68.7% -6.77%
1982 48% 80.9% -13.3%
1983 44.6% 86.6% -7.62%
1984 44% 82.5% -7.56%
1985 39.7% 82.5% -2.57%
1986 38.6% 84% -1%
1987 40.1% 92.2% -1.7%
1988 41.8% 105% -13.5%
1989 43% 104.4% -13.6%
1990 41.5% 112.7% -3.65%
1991 20.9% 103.7% -0.6%
1992 27.8% 91.2% -2.62%
1993 33.8% 83.6% -9.4%
1994 25.2% 78.4% 2.12%
1995 25.9% 76.7% 2.31%
1996 21.5% 65% 2.48%
1997 22.2% 60.2% 1.25%
1998 23.4% 58.1% -1.11%
1999 23% 55.1% -0.65%
2000 22.8% 53.6% 2.05%
2001 23.4% 57.8% -0.42%
2002 23.5% 57% -0.96%
2003 24.2% 56.5% -2.27%
2004 23.3% 58.8% -4.33%
2005 22.4% 59.3% -2.21%
2006 21.9% 54.7% 0.51%
2007 21.8% 47.4% 3.12%
2008 22.7% 40% 0.38%
2009 22.7% 39.1% -0.9%
2010 24.2% 38.1% -1.68%
2011 23.5% 35.6% -1.96%
2012 22.8% 34% -1.31%
2013 23.4% 33.7% -2.38%
2014 23% 34.7% -3.21%
2015 21.4% 34.3% -2.3%
2016 21.3% 33.6% -1.89%
2017 21.2% 33.6% -1.92%
2018 21.8% 35.6% -2.88%
2019 20.7% 39.9% -2.89%
2020 27.5% 61.5% -10.2%
2021 23.8% 54.4% -6.48%
2022 21.3% 52.7% -3.98%
2023 21.5% 51.5% -3.92%
2024 22.8% 56.6% -7.32%
2025 21.8% 58.1% -3.95%

Inflation rate by year

Over the past 20 years, Panama has had an average annual inflation rate of 2.48%. In 2024, inflation was 0.69%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.

Year Inflation
1960 0.05%
1961 0.61%
1962 0.79%
1963 0.45%
1964 2.41%
1965 0.46%
1966 0.19%
1967 1.38%
1968 1.62%
1969 1.83%
1970 3.08%
1971 1.92%
1972 5.41%
1973 6.86%
1974 16.3%
1975 5.88%
1976 3.95%
1977 4.59%
1978 4.2%
1979 7.99%
1980 13.8%
1981 7.3%
1982 4.25%
1983 2.1%
1984 1.58%
1985 1.03%
1986 -0.07%
1987 1%
1988 0.36%
1989 0.21%
1990 0.77%
1991 1.26%
1992 1.82%
1993 0.45%
1994 1.27%
1995 0.99%
1996 1.26%
1997 1.32%
1998 0.56%
1999 1.25%
2000 1.5%
2001 0.31%
2002 1.01%
2003 0.39%
2004 0.47%
2005 2.86%
2006 2.46%
2007 4.17%
2008 8.76%
2009 2.41%
2010 3.49%
2011 5.88%
2012 5.7%
2013 4.03%
2014 2.63%
2015 0.14%
2016 0.74%
2017 0.88%
2018 0.76%
2019 -0.36%
2020 -1.55%
2021 1.63%
2022 2.86%
2023 1.49%
2024 0.69%

Balance of trade

Panama Rank
Current account balance
$1.67B
2024
49/189
Current account balance, % of GDP
+1.94%
2024
57/189
Goods imports
$25.1B
2024
73/188
Goods exports
$19.1B
2024
79/188
Service imports
$5.75B
2024
88/188
Service exports
$18.3B
2024
49/188
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP
43.1%
2023
92/180
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP
46.5%
2023
59/193

Panama's top 10 trading partners

Panama's biggest trading partner accounting for 20.8%% of all exports and imports is China, with a trade balance between the two of -$6.49B — Panama exports $258M worth of goods and services to China and imports $6.75B.

Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Panama.

Rank Country Trade value Share of total trade Export to Import from Top export to Top import from
1 China $7.01B 20.8% $258M $6.75B Raw materials & minerals Machinery & equipment
2 United States $6.16B 18.3% $1.16B $4.99B Chemicals & pharma Chemicals & pharma
3 Costa Rica $1.56B 4.64% $1.06B $503M Chemicals & pharma Processed food, beverages & tobacco
4 Colombia $1.28B 3.82% $841M $442M Machinery & equipment Chemicals & pharma
5 Mexico $1.22B 3.62% $203M $1.01B Machinery & equipment Chemicals & pharma
6 Venezuela $1.15B 3.43% $1.14B $12.7M Textiles & consumer goods Machinery & equipment
7 Guatemala $1.13B 3.37% $852M $282M Chemicals & pharma Chemicals & pharma
8 Dominican Republic $751M 2.23% $680M $70M Chemicals & pharma Chemicals & pharma
9 El Salvador $733M 2.18% $612M $120M Chemicals & pharma Chemicals & pharma
10 Honduras $658M 1.96% $601M $57.1M Chemicals & pharma Processed food, beverages & tobacco

Panama's top 10 exports

Panama Rank
Transport & tourism services $15.2B 41/188
Chemicals & pharma $3.96B 48/193
Machinery & equipment $3.65B 60/193
Textiles & consumer goods $3.02B 50/193
Business & finance services $1.61B 67/188
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $954M 82/192
IT & IP services $495M 74/183
Precious metals & jewellery $370M 80/190
Metals $323M 101/192
Animal & marine products $244M 88/192

Panama's top 10 imports

Panama Rank
Machinery & equipment $7.37B 76/193
Chemicals & pharma $6.63B 57/193
Textiles & consumer goods $4.25B 55/193
Transport & tourism services $3.82B 73/188
Raw materials & minerals $3.16B 93/193
Processed food, beverages & tobacco $2.33B 66/193
Business & finance services $1.12B 84/188
Metals $934M 100/193
Raw agricultural goods $547M 106/193
Precious metals & jewellery $510M 54/193

Economic freedom indices

Panama Rank
Economic freedom 65.5 62/197
Property rights 56 79/182
Government integrity 37 79/182
Judicial effectiveness 49.4 79/182
Tax burden 86.9 51/181
Government spending 85.2 43/180
Fiscal health 62.4 107/181
Business freedom 73.4 59/182
Labor freedom 60.7 57/182
Monetary freedom 76.4 26/180
Trade freedom 78.6 59/181
Investment freedom 60 80/181
Financial freedom 60 56/181

Panama's economic freedom by year

Panama is ranked 56/180 for economic freedom with a score of 65.5, compared to 49/163 and a score of 64.3 in 2005.

Economic freedom
Judicial effectiveness
Tax burden
Government spending
Fiscal health
Year Index
Economic freedom Judicial effectiveness Tax burden Government spending Fiscal health
1995 71.6 - 77.5 84 -
1996 71.8 - 77.6 85.2 -
1997 72.4 - 80.8 87.1 -
1998 72.6 - 80.7 87.3 -
1999 72.6 - 80.9 86.8 -
2000 71.6 - 77.7 78.1 -
2001 70.6 - 81 74.8 -
2002 68.5 - 80.9 76.5 -
2003 68.4 - 81.1 78.3 -
2004 65.3 - 81.2 76.5 -
2005 64.3 - 81.3 79.4 -
2006 65.6 - 81.3 88 -
2007 64.6 - 83 89.5 -
2008 64.7 - 83 89.1 -
2009 64.7 - 82.6 89.8 -
2010 64.8 - 82.6 90 -
2011 64.9 - 82.6 88.6 -
2012 65.2 - 84.6 88.2 -
2013 62.5 - 86.2 77.8 -
2014 63.4 - 84.3 78.7 -
2015 64.1 - 84.5 78.8 -
2016 64.8 - 84.4 77.9 -
2017 66.3 21.5 85.2 83.1 84.9
2018 67 29.4 85 84.1 86.1
2019 67.2 30.1 85 85.3 91.3
2020 67.2 30 85.3 85.7 91.2
2021 66.2 28.1 85.2 85.2 82.8
2022 65.4 50.7 85.5 81.9 40.7
2023 63.8 38.7 85.6 81.1 19.1
2024 64.1 51.2 85.9 82.6 21.1
2025 65.5 49.4 86.9 85.2 62.4

More economic indicators

Panama Rank
Services, % of GDP
68.8%
2024
30/191
Industry, % of GDP
26.3%
2024
76/194
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP
2.58%
2024
137/193
GNI, Atlas method
$81.1B
2024
74/194
GNI per capita, PPP
$39,290
2024
51/191
Total reserves including gold
$6.86B
2024
88/177
Net foreign direct investment
-$2.38B
2024
144/188
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$3.24B
2024
58/193
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
$865M
2024
52/187
Poverty at national poverty lines
21.7%
2023
91/176
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
37.7%
2023
11/176

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GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.

Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.