Panama — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for Panama, 2000–2023.
Health spending for Panama was 8.33% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 10.22% in 2020. The lowest was 6.21% in 2005 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.77% per year.
Panama ranks 55 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 29%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 6.87%, so Panama sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 18% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 28%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 8 of 32 economies; Nicaragua (8.30%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 26% in 2020. That is 5% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 91 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 46th of 184 in 2000 → 62nd of 188 in 2010 → 34th of 189 in 2020 → 55th of 188 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8.33% | -0.7 pp |
| 2022 | 9.05% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 9.14% | -1.1 pp |
| 2020 | 10.22% | +2.1 pp |
| 2019 | 8.14% | +0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 7.16% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 7.09% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 6.94% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 6.92% | +0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 6.52% | +0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 6.5% | -0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 6.83% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 7.22% | +0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 6.99% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 6.8% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 7.35% | +0.8 pp |
| 2006 | 6.55% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 6.21% | -0.9 pp |
| 2004 | 7.08% | +0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 6.71% | -0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 7.06% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 6.92% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 6.98% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Panama’s Health spending in 2001?
6.92% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Panama’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +19.3% in total — about 0.8% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 8.33%; 2022: 9.05%; 2021: 9.14%; 2020: 10.22%; 2019: 8.14%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.