Military spending as a share of GDP in Panama
Panama: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.4%
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
81st
of 172 countries
All-time high
2.2%
in 1942
All-time low
0.0%
in 1924
Years of data
117
1903–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Panama, 1903–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Panama recorded 1.4% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
That represents a change of up 3.7% on the previous year and up 75.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Panama peaked at 2.2% in 1942 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1924.
That places Panama 81st out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Panama, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 0.5% | — |
| 1904 | 0.4% | -11.8% |
| 1905 | 0.4% | -3.7% |
| 1906 | 0.3% | -12.3% |
| 1907 | 0.3% | -17.3% |
| 1908 | 0.3% | -11.0% |
| 1909 | 0.2% | -10.4% |
| 1910 | 0.2% | -15.4% |
| 1911 | 0.2% | -13.1% |
| 1912 | 0.1% | -17.2% |
| 1913 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 1914 | 0.1% | -28.0% |
| 1915 | 0.1% | -5.4% |
| 1916 | 0.1% | -14.3% |
| 1917 | 0.1% | -21.6% |
| 1918 | 0.1% | -17.4% |
| 1919 | 0.0% | -24.3% |
| 1920 | 0.0% | -31.0% |
| 1921 | 0.0% | +10.4% |
| 1922 | 0.0% | -8.3% |
| 1923 | 0.0% | -16.5% |
| 1924 | 0.0% | -3.9% |
| 1925 | 0.0% | +7.7% |
| 1926 | 0.0% | +4.0% |
| 1927 | 0.0% | +7.8% |
| 1928 | 0.0% | +1.0% |
| 1929 | 0.0% | -1.6% |
| 1930 | 0.0% | +4.5% |
| 1931 | 0.0% | +6.1% |
| 1932 | 0.0% | +1.5% |
| 1933 | 0.0% | -3.7% |
| 1934 | 0.0% | +15.7% |
| 1935 | 0.0% | -5.6% |
| 1936 | 0.0% | -4.3% |
| 1937 | 0.0% | -9.2% |
| 1938 | 0.0% | +5.9% |
| 1939 | 0.0% | -1.7% |
| 1940 | 0.0% | -5.4% |
| 1941 | 0.3% | +978.2% |
| 1942 | 2.2% | +658.8% |
| 1943 | 1.3% | -41.8% |
| 1944 | 1.2% | -4.8% |
| 1945 | 1.2% | +0.9% |
| 1946 | 0.9% | -23.9% |
| 1947 | 0.7% | -20.7% |
| 1948 | 0.6% | -13.1% |
| 1949 | 0.7% | +3.3% |
| 1950 | 0.6% | -14.6% |
| 1951 | 0.5% | -15.3% |
| 1952 | 0.5% | -3.9% |
| 1953 | 0.4% | -10.9% |
| 1954 | 0.4% | -13.4% |
| 1955 | 0.3% | -14.4% |
| 1956 | 0.3% | -9.2% |
| 1957 | 0.2% | -20.8% |
| 1958 | 0.2% | -11.8% |
| 1959 | 0.2% | -18.8% |
| 1960 | 0.1% | -14.1% |
| 1961 | 0.2% | +15.2% |
| 1962 | 0.2% | +6.9% |
| 1963 | 0.1% | -17.9% |
| 1964 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 0.1% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 0.1% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 0.2% | +39.6% |
| 1968 | 0.2% | +7.8% |
| 1969 | 0.3% | +32.2% |
| 1970 | 0.3% | +15.6% |
| 1971 | 0.4% | +43.9% |
| 1972 | 0.4% | -4.5% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | +18.6% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | +6.1% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | -4.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 0.5% | -6.5% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +28.9% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | +20.8% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +19.4% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +27.2% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | -9.6% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | +9.7% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | -22.5% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -14.4% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +10.5% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +28.5% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +9.8% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 7 |
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.9% | 0.0% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More economy & growth data for Panama
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.82 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 5.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7002 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 13,857 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7002 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 13,857 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.6362 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Panama?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Panama was 1.4% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1942.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1924.
- How does Panama rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Panama ranks 81st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 117 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).