Country profile

Panama

Latin America & Caribbean High income4.52M inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Panama demonstrates early-stage readiness (42nd percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

46.77Composite score
Global percentile
42nd
Global rank
#103
Regional rank
#16
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
63.07
50th percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
50.10
49th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
31.80
28th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
50.09
58th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
38.82
41st percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Panama trails global peers in Innovation (32, 28th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Governance effectiveness is below global norms, affecting the stability of education reforms. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

  • Places 103rd worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 16th within Latin America & Caribbean .
  • Scores range from Infrastructure (63.1) to Innovation (31.8), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Regional peers: Latin America & Caribbean

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
341Chile69.86
412Argentina63.78
463Uruguay62.23
——Cayman IslandsMicrostate60.65
——Antigua and BarbudaMicrostate57.78
674Peru56.70
——GrenadaMicrostate56.16
——St. Kitts and NevisMicrostate55.76
745Colombia54.99
——Turks and Caicos IslandsMicrostate54.87
——CuracaoMicrostate54.63
756Mexico54.62
807Cuba52.99
818Brazil52.92
——BarbadosMicrostate52.49
849Puerto Rico (US)52.36
——DominicaMicrostate52.30
8810Ecuador50.82
——St. LuciaMicrostate50.58
9211Dominican Republic50.53
9412Bolivia49.89
9613Costa Rica49.46
——St. Vincent and the GrenadinesMicrostate48.23
10114Jamaica47.64
——Virgin Islands (U.S.)Microstate47.33
10215Bahamas, The47.10
10316Panama46.77
——ArubaMicrostate46.66
——St. Martin (French part)Microstate46.21
10517Belize46.05
——British Virgin IslandsMicrostate45.79
——Sint Maarten (Dutch part)Microstate45.13
10618Paraguay44.54
10919Trinidad and Tobago43.11
11520Venezuela, RBFCS39.24
12121Guyana36.76
12322El Salvador36.18
12523Suriname35.67
13224Honduras32.89
13625Guatemala31.74
14126Nicaragua29.41
16227HaitiFCS23.21