Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Panama
Panama: Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate in Panama, 1996–2025
Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for regulatory quality - governance estimate in Panama is -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is down 35.8% on the previous year and down 128.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, regulatory quality - governance estimate in Panama peaked at 0.5503 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1998 and was at its lowest, -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2025.
That places Panama 105th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Panama, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.1917 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | 0.5503 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +187.0% |
| 2000 | 0.4859 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4069 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -16.3% |
| 2003 | 0.2582 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -36.6% |
| 2004 | 0.2223 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -13.9% |
| 2005 | 0.306 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +37.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3099 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 0.3841 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +23.9% |
| 2008 | 0.4991 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +29.9% |
| 2009 | 0.3896 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -21.9% |
| 2010 | 0.4562 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +17.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5416 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +18.7% |
| 2012 | 0.4785 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 0.4389 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 0.4093 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4282 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 0.4191 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.3545 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 0.3508 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.3586 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2995 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 0.2472 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -17.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0861 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -65.2% |
| 2023 | 0.027 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -68.6% |
| 2024 | -0.0893 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -430.6% |
| 2025 | -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +35.8% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.9078 approx. -2.5 to +2.5. (74 countries reporting)
- Panama's -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is -0.0884 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -430.6% | 0.027 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.0893 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
| 1998 | +187.0% | 0.1917 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.5503 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.371 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.1917 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.5503 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.3624 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.2223 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.4991 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.4236 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.3508 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.5416 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0749 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.2995 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 102 Argentina -0.0934 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 103 Bhutan -0.0934 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 104 China -0.1108 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 106 Vietnam -0.1402 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 107 El Salvador -0.1415 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 108 Cote d'Ivoire -0.167 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
More reference data data for Panama
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1446 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0285 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.9793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4849 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2267 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1553 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is regulatory quality - governance estimate in Panama?
- Regulatory quality - governance estimate in Panama was -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
- What is the highest regulatory quality - governance estimate recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5503 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1998.
- What is the lowest regulatory quality - governance estimate recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.1213 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025.
- How does Panama rank for regulatory quality - governance estimate?
- Panama ranks 105th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is regulatory quality - governance estimate rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 128.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Regulatory Quality (RQ) captures perceptions of the government’s ability to design and implement policies and regulations that promote private sector development. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.