Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama

Panama: Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities was 9.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
9.6%
Change on year
down 7.6%
World rank
65th
of 232 countries
All-time high
29.1%
in 2000
All-time low
9.6%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama, 2000–2024

10152025302000201220242000: 29.1 %2001: 28.3 %2002: 27.4 %2003: 26.6 %2004: 25.8 %2005: 24.9 %2006: 24.1 %2007: 23.3 %2008: 22.5 %2009: 21.7 %2010: 20.9 %2011: 20 %2012: 19.2 %2013: 18.4 %2014: 17.6 %2015: 16.8 %2016: 16 %2017: 15.2 %2018: 14.4 %2019: 13.6 %2020: 12.8 %2021: 12 %2022: 11.2 %2023: 10.4 %2024: 9.6 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama is 9.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.6% on the previous year and down 45.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama peaked at 29.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2024.

Panama ranks 65th of 232 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 25.4% 21.7% 29.1% 10
2010s 17.2% 13.6% 20.9% 10
2020s 11.2% 9.6% 12.8% 5

Countries ranked near Panama

  1. 62 Botswana 10.7% compare
  2. 63 Morocco 10.7% compare
  3. 64 Cape Verde 10.1% compare
  4. 66 Micronesia (country) 9.5% compare
  5. 67 Marshall Islands 9.5% compare
  6. 68 Romania 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Panama

All data for Panama →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama?
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities in Panama was 9.6% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Panama?
The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population not using improved sanitation facilities recorded in Panama?
The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2024.
How does Panama rank for share of population not using improved sanitation facilities?
Panama ranks 65th out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of population not using improved sanitation facilities rising or falling in Panama?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Panama data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population not using improved sanitation facilities
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,597 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

If no improved sanitation facility is available, people might practice open defecation or use unimproved sanitation facilities.