Land use in Panama
Panama: Land use was 680,966 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
680,966 hectares
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
124th
of 224 countries
All-time high
757,390 hectares
in 2010
All-time low
543,000 hectares
in 1970
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Panama, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Panama stood at 680,966 hectares.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Panama peaked at 757,390 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 543,000 hectares, in 1970.
Panama ranks 124th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Panama, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 564,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 564,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 564,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 558,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 558,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 558,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 549,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1968 | 549,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 547,000 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 543,000 hectares | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 543,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 543,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 543,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 545,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 546,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 547,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 549,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 550,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 552,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 555,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 562,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 574,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 581,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 586,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 595,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 605,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 615,000 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 625,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 640,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 654,000 hectares | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 654,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 660,000 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 660,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 665,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 655,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 655,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 663,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 672,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 680,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 695,000 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 708,000 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 708,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 708,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 708,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 708,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 705,000 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 715,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 715,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 720,000 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 757,390 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 754,000 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 744,000 hectares | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 734,000 hectares | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 724,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 714,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 704,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 694,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 684,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 674,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 665,100 hectares | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 672,316 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 684,931 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 680,966 hectares | -0.6% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 680,966 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 2.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Panama's 680,966 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 556,778 hectares | 547,000 hectares | 564,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 546,100 hectares | 543,000 hectares | 552,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 593,800 hectares | 555,000 hectares | 640,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 661,800 hectares | 654,000 hectares | 680,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 709,000 hectares | 695,000 hectares | 720,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 718,339 hectares | 674,000 hectares | 757,390 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 675,828 hectares | 665,100 hectares | 684,931 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More environment data for Panama
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.66 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.274 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.2493 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Panama?
- Land use in Panama was 680,966 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 757,390 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 543,000 hectares in 1970.
- How does Panama rank for land use?
- Panama ranks 124th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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