Panama: Secondary education, pupils (% female)

Key figures

Since 1970 it is down 1.54 percentage points from 52% in 1970. The World Bank has no value for 10 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Panama's secondary education, pupils (% female) rose 0.68 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.78% to 50.46%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.79 percentage points in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.64 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 49% of the movement over 9 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 2017, Panama had the 12th highest value of the 63 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 2017 ranking

• Mexico — 9th of 63: 51.09%
• Venezuela, RB — 10th of 63: 50.88%
• Philippines — 11th of 63: 50.83%
• New Zealand — 13th of 63: 50.37%
• Argentina — 14th of 63: 50.18%
• Sweden — 15th of 63: 50.05%

What this measures

Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at secondary level includes enrollments in public and private schools.

Limitations: The percentage of female enrollment is limited in assessing gender parity, because it's affected by the gender composition of population. Ratio of female to male in enrollment rate provides a population adjusted measure of gender parity.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 38 values

Secondary education, pupils (% female) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 48.52% (2018)
• Argentina — 50.18% (2017)
• Bahamas, The — 51.74% (2018)
• Barbados — 49.59% (2018)
• Belize — 50.59% (2018)
• Bolivia — 48.46% (2018)
• Brazil — 49.73% (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 51.8% (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 49.68% (2018)
• Chile — 49.24% (2017)

More education data for Panama

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 451,308 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 96.94% (2024)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 26.97% (2020)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 53.7% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 12.61% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Panama's secondary education, pupils (% female)?

50.46% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 1.54 percentage points from 52% in 1970. The highest value was 52.19% in 1983 and the lowest 49.78% in 2016.

How does Panama rank?

12th highest of 63 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils (% female) unusual for Panama?

In 2017, Panama's secondary education, pupils (% female) rose 0.68 percentage points on 2016 (from 49.78% to 50.46%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2016), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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