Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama

Panama: Adequacy of social safety net programs was 8.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
8.1%
Change on year
down 31.6%
World rank
20th
of 33 countries
All-time high
11.9%
in 2021
All-time low
2.7%
in 2008
Years of data
14
2008–2023

Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama, 2008–2023

246810122008201520232008: 2.7 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2009: 6 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2010: 7.7 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2011: 7.6 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2012: 6.9 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2013: 6.6 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2014: 6.8 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2015: 8.1 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2016: 8.2 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2017: 7.9 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2018: 7.2 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2019: 6.7 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2021: 11.9 % of total welfare of beneficiary households2023: 8.1 % of total welfare of beneficiary households

Source: ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total welfare of beneficiary households.

Analysis

In 2023, adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama stood at 8.1%.

The figure is down 31.6% on the previous year and up 23.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama peaked at 11.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2008.

That places Panama 20th out of 33 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama, year by year

Annual values for Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama, 2008 to 2023.
Year % of total welfare of beneficiary households Change
2008 2.7% —
2009 6.0% +121.4%
2010 7.7% +26.9%
2011 7.6% -1.2%
2012 6.9% -8.3%
2013 6.6% -5.2%
2014 6.8% +3.2%
2015 8.1% +19.3%
2016 8.2% +1.3%
2017 7.9% -3.4%
2018 7.2% -9.1%
2019 6.7% -6.4%
2021 11.9% +76.3%
2023 8.1% -31.6%

Panama compared with similar countries

  • Panama's 8.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.9%, 1.2× the median. (15 countries reporting)
  • Panama's 8.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 14.8%, 55% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2009 +121.4% 2.7% 6.0%
2021 +76.3% 6.7% 11.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.4% 2.7% 6.0% 2
2010s 7.4% 6.6% 8.2% 10
2020s 10.0% 8.1% 11.9% 2

Countries ranked near Panama

  1. 17 Turkey 9.4% compare
  2. 18 Indonesia 9.4% compare
  3. 19 Vietnam 8.8% compare
  4. 21 Dominican Republic 6.9% compare
  5. 22 Sri Lanka 6.5% compare
  6. 23 Paraguay 5.6% compare

See the full ranking of 33 places →

More reference data data for Panama

All data for Panama →

Frequently asked questions

What is adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama?
Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama was 8.1% in 2023, according to ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest adequacy of social safety net programs recorded in Panama?
The highest recorded value was 11.9% in 2021.
What is the lowest adequacy of social safety net programs recorded in Panama?
The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2008.
How does Panama rank for adequacy of social safety net programs?
Panama ranks 20th out of 33 countries with data for 2023.
Is adequacy of social safety net programs rising or falling in Panama?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Panama data come from?
The figures come from ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adequacy of social safety net programs. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adequacy of social safety net programs in Panama. Statizoid, drawing on ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/adequacy-of-social-safety-net-programs/panama/

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About this data

Indicator
Adequacy of social safety net programs
Unit
% of total welfare of beneficiary households
Source
ASPIRE: The Atlas of Social Protection, World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
33 places, 338 data points, 2004–2023
Last refreshed

Adequacy of social safety net programs is measured by the total transfer amount received by the population participating in social safety net programs as a share of their total welfare. Social safety net programs include cash transfers, social pensions, cash transfers, school feeding, and other social assistance programs.