Central America
Panama
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Panama
- Central America
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Panama and Central America from 1988 to 2024.
In Panama, 20% of girls in 1988 married before age 18, compared with 26% in 2013, which is the latest available value.
In Central America, the prevalence was 24% in 1999 and was 21% in 2024.
Show data table
| Year | Panama | Central America |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 20.0% | |
| 1993 | 25.8% | |
| 1998 | 30.2% | |
| 1999 | 24.2% | |
| 2003 | 26.7% | |
| 2004 | 24.9% | |
| 2008 | 24.2% | |
| 2009 | 26.4% | |
| 2013 | 26.4% | |
| 2014 | 25.1% | |
| 2019 | 22.9% | |
| 2024 | 20.8% |
Panama
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Panama
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Panama in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Panama. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Panama
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2013
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Panama in 2013
Region with no data
2013
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Panama in 2013
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Panama. Data refer to 2013, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in Ngobe-Bugle (68%), Embera (65%), Darien (54%), and Bocas (53%).
Show data table
| Year | Bocas Del Toro | Chiriqui | Cocle | Colon | Darien | Embera | Herrera | Kuna Yala | Los Santos | Ngobe-Bugle | Panama | Veraguas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.9% | 31.0% | 28.5% | 27.1% | 53.8% | 65.4% | 22.5% | 39.5% | 30.0% | 68.1% | 19.9% | 25.3% |
Compare countries
How does Panama compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Panama
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Panama from 1988 to 2013.
In Panama, 20% of girls in 1988 married before age 18, compared with 26% in 2013, which is the latest available value.
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Panama. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Panama, 26% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 44% of girls in rural areas, compared with 20% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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