Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Panama
Panama: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 19.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Panama, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for food imports in Panama is 19.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 104.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Panama peaked at 19.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2011.
Panama ranks 73rd of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Panama, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 13.7% | — |
| 1963 | 11.8% | -14.2% |
| 1964 | 14.0% | +18.3% |
| 1965 | 11.5% | -17.5% |
| 1966 | 11.1% | -3.3% |
| 1967 | 10.0% | -10.1% |
| 1968 | 10.0% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 9.6% | -3.4% |
| 1970 | 10.0% | +3.7% |
| 1971 | 12.3% | +23.5% |
| 1972 | 10.5% | -15.1% |
| 1973 | 11.2% | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 10.1% | -10.2% |
| 1975 | 8.8% | -12.5% |
| 1976 | 9.4% | +6.3% |
| 1977 | 9.9% | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 9.3% | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 9.8% | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 10.1% | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 9.0% | -10.2% |
| 1982 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 10.8% | +16.3% |
| 1984 | 10.5% | -2.6% |
| 1985 | 12.1% | +15.0% |
| 1986 | 12.8% | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 11.2% | -12.0% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 11.1% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 11.5% | +10.6% |
| 1999 | 11.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 13.4% | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 14.1% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 13.3% | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 6.9% | -44.6% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | +12.3% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 8.0% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 6.3% | -21.4% |
| 2012 | 6.6% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 7.7% | +16.4% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +10.9% |
| 2015 | 9.3% | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | +12.8% |
| 2017 | 10.2% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 10.1% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 10.9% | +7.7% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | +32.5% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | +26.3% |
| 2022 | 16.2% | -10.8% |
| 2023 | 16.3% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 18.7% | +14.6% |
| 2025 | 19.0% | +1.3% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 19.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.9%, 1.5× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Panama's 19.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.0%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.5% | 9.6% | 14.0% | 8 |
| 1970s | 10.1% | 8.8% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.7% | 9.0% | 12.8% | 8 |
| 1990s | 11.1% | 10.4% | 11.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 6.9% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 6.3% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.1% | 14.4% | 19.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More private sector data for Panama
- Merchandise trade 41.6% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 60.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 25.76 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 5.82 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 49.6% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 12.6% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 11.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 20.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,604 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Panama?
- Food imports in Panama was 19.0% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2011.
- How does Panama rank for food imports?
- Panama ranks 73rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 104.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.