Panama vs South Africa: Number of airline passengers per year
Panama
15.75 million
in 2023
South Africa
15.45 million
in 2023
Panama rank
41st
South Africa rank
42nd
Number of airline passengers per year over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
Panama currently reports 15.75 million against 15.45 million in South Africa, a difference of 295,700.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was South Africa ahead.
Panama ranks 41st and South Africa ranks 42nd of 183 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 327,960 | 2.61 million | 2.29 million | South Africa |
| 1980s | 357,140 | 4.41 million | 4.05 million | South Africa |
| 1990s | 564,620 | 6.10 million | 5.53 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.16 million | 10.63 million | 8.47 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 10.55 million | 19.34 million | 8.79 million | South Africa |
| 2020s | 10.21 million | 11.30 million | 1.09 million | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, Panama or South Africa?
- Panama, at 15.75 million against 15.45 million in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between Panama and South Africa?
- 295,700, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for number of airline passengers per year?
- Panama ranks 41st and South Africa ranks 42nd of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.