Urban population growth (annual %) in Panama
Panama: Urban population growth (annual %) was 1.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Panama, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Panama stood at 1.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 21.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Panama peaked at 4.8% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2021.
Panama ranks 97th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Panama, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.1% | — |
| 1962 | 4.4% | +7.9% |
| 1963 | 4.6% | +5.7% |
| 1964 | 4.8% | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 4.8% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 4.5% | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 4.3% | -5.2% |
| 1969 | 4.0% | -7.0% |
| 1970 | 3.6% | -8.9% |
| 1971 | 3.4% | -6.6% |
| 1972 | 3.3% | -3.8% |
| 1973 | 3.1% | -3.9% |
| 1974 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 2.8% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 2.8% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 3.1% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 3.1% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 3.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 3.7% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 3.6% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -7.8% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -10.1% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -14.0% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -12.8% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 1.5% | +7.6% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 1.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 2.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Panama's 1.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.7%, 2.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More climate change data for Panama
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 36.85 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,728 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,628 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.15 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 129.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 304.48 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 247.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 57.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.9325 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Panama?
- Urban population growth in Panama was 1.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1965.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2021.
- How does Panama rank for urban population growth?
- Panama ranks 97th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.