Panama's people using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) was 98.48% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.69 percentage points from 97.79% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 98.48% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 98.37% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 97.79% | 2014 |
| Highest | 98.48% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 97.15% | 2000 |
| Average since 2015 | 98.29% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 97.15% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Panama's people using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 98.48% to 98.48%).
Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.14 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.08 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 83% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, Panama had the 85th highest value of the 178 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Panama | 98.48% | 2024 |
| World | 96.43% | 2024 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 99.32% | 2024 |
| High income | 99.6% | 2024 |
Closest to Panama in the 2024 ranking
- Fiji — 81st of 178: 98.68%
- Malaysia — 82nd of 178: 98.66%
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 83rd of 178: 98.65%
- West Bank and Gaza — 85th of 178: 98.42%
- Tunisia — 86th of 178: 98.31%
- Morocco — 87th of 178: 98.27%
What this measures
The percentage of people using at least basic water services. This indicator encompasses both people using basic water services as well as those using safely managed water services. Basic drinking water services is defined as drinking water from an improved source, provided collection time is not more than 30 minutes for a round trip. Improved water sources include piped water, boreholes or tubewells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and packaged or delivered water.
Limitations: National, regional and income group estimates are made when data are available for at least 50 percent of the population.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 25 values
| Year | People using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 98.48 |
| 2023 | 98.48 |
| 2022 | 98.48 |
| 2021 | 98.48 |
| 2020 | 98.48 |
| 2019 | 98.37 |
| 2018 | 98.23 |
| 2017 | 98.09 |
| 2016 | 97.95 |
| 2015 | 97.81 |
People using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) in nearby economies
- Antigua and Barbuda — 98.74% (2024)
- Argentina — 99.82% (2024)
- Belize — 98.88% (2024)
- Bolivia — 99.21% (2024)
- Brazil — 100% (2024)
- Cayman Islands — 95.46% (2024)
- Chile — 99.82% (2024)
- Colombia — 99.91% (2024)
More health data for Panama
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 7.56% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 7.96% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 546,163 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 23.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 574,975 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 25.16% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 1.12 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 24.53% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 8.09% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Panama's people using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population)?
- 98.48% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is up 1.33 percentage points from 97.15% in 2000. The highest value was 98.48% in 2020 and the lowest 97.15% in 2000.
- How does Panama rank?
- 85th highest of 178 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in people using at least basic drinking water services, urban (% of urban population) unusual for Panama?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.H2O.BASW.UR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: washdata.org, publisher: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (washdata.org), date accessed: 2025-09-30, date published: 2025-08… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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