Panama: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Panama's proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) rose 1.2 percentage points on 2023 (from 22% to 23.2%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was −0.18 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.73 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.2 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.7 percentage points in 2008. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 7% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 2nd highest value of the 20 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.

Closest to Panama in the 2024 ranking

• Honduras — 1st of 20: 23.4%
• Colombia — 3rd of 20: 22.7%
• Brazil — 4th of 20: 21.2%
• Argentina — 5th of 20: 19.6%

What this measures

The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.

Limitations: Despite progress in the last decade, the challenges of measuring poverty remain. The timeliness, frequency, quality, and comparability of household surveys need to increase substantially, particularly in the poorest countries. The availability and quality of poverty monitoring data remains low in small states, countries with fragile situations, and low-income countries and even some middle-income countries. The low frequency and lack of comparability of the data available in some countries create uncertainty over the magnitude of poverty reduction. Besides the frequency and timeliness of survey data, other data quality issues arise in measuring household living standards.

All 30 values

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 19.6% (2024)
• Bolivia — 17.8% (2024)
• Brazil — 21.2% (2024)
• Chile — 13.9% (2024)
• Colombia — 22.7% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 20% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 15.3% (2024)
• Ecuador — 18.1% (2025)
• El Salvador

More poverty data for Panama

• Income share held by second 20% — 8% (2024)
• Income share held by third 20% — 13% (2024)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 21.1% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 54.3% (2024)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 37.6% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 1.2% (2024)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 3.6% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 3.1% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 0.8% (2024)
• Gini index — 49.7 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Panama's proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)?

23.2% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is down 0.5 percentage points from 23.7% in 1979. The highest value was 30.2% in 1989 and the lowest 21.4% in 2021.

How does Panama rank?

2nd highest of 20 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) unusual for Panama?

In 2024, Panama's proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) rose 1.2 percentage points on 2023 (from 22% to 23.2%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was −0.18 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.73 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.DST.50MD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. 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.

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