FSCI Indicators Breakdown

The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Panama.

Panama income group: High Income
Comparison
Panama
Central America
World

Diets, Nutrition, and Health

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Panama
4.7
Central America
3.3
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
4.7 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
17
Central America
22
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
17%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
367.5
Central America
230.6
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
367.5 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
147.8
Central America
171.9
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
147.8 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Central America
46
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
No Data
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
Panama
856.8
Central America
78
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
856.8 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
Central America
84
World
66
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Central America
54
World
39
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
Central America
4.7
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
Central America
2.9
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
Central America
5
World
11
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Central America
40
World
19
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
Panama
5
Central America
6
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
5%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Central America
33
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
No Data
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
Source: FAOSTAT
Central America
61
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
No Data
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Source: UNICEF
Central America
20
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Environment, natural resources, and production

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Panama
30
Central America
50
World
63
Cropland nitrogen use efficiency
30%
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
3.5
Central America
3.7
World
4.2
Cereals yield
3.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
15.6
Central America
18.8
World
13.8
Fruit yield
15.6 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
12.5
Central America
21.1
World
20.1
Vegetable yield
12.5 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
1,239
Central America
3,471.6
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
1,239 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
2,181
Central America
2,378.9
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
2,181 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
33.8
Central America
16.5
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
33.8
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
2021
Panama
12,683.5
Central America
43,615.6
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
12,683.5 kT CO2eq
Greenhouse gas emissions (kt CO2 equivalents) from food systems
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
0.8
Central America
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
0.2
Central America
0.8
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
0.2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
2
Central America
0.9
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
35.7
Central America
33.4
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
35.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of beef
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
-1
Central America
-1
World
0
Cropland area change
-1% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Panama
76
Central America
58
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
76% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Panama
0
Central America
11
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
0%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Panama
1.3
Central America
3.1
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
1.3 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Panama
3
Central America
5
World
4
Share of agriculture in GDP
3% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
7
Central America
2
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
7% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are unemployed
2022
Source: ILO
Panama
11
Central America
12
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
11% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2021
Source: ILO
Panama
77
Central America
50
World
58
Social protection coverage
77% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2019
Source: World Bank
Panama
17
Central America
26
World
23
Social protection adequacy
17% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2019
Source: World Bank
Panama
2
Central America
4
World
8
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
2% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2016
Source: UNICEF
Central America
16
World
31
Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land
No Data
Source:
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Governance

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Panama
0.6
Central America
0.5
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.6
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Panama
0
Central America
11
World
8
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Source: Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Oakridge National Laboratory (Landscan population product)
FSCI
Central America
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
An indicator that classifies countries by the extent to which national laws or policies recognize or enact people’s right to sufficient food
Source: FAOLEXFSCI
Central America
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Whether the country has developed a food system transformation pathway through the UNFSS process
Source: FAOFSCI
Panama
-0.1
Central America
-0.4
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.1
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Panama
80
Central America
78.8
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
80
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Central America
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Panama
1.2
Central America
0.7
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
1.2
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Central America
75.3
World
43
Open budget index score
No Data
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
Central America
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Less Desirable
More Desirable

Resilience

Less Desirable
More Desirable
Central America
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Panama
0.8
Central America
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.8
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Panama
156.3
Central America
118.1
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
156.3 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Panama
0.4
Central America
0.3
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Panama
64
Central America
28
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
64% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Panama
824
Central America
62,499.1
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
824
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Panama
0
Central America
0
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
0
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Central America
0.2
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
No Data
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
Source:
WFP
Panama
0.8
Central America
0.6
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.8
How much food prices vary over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2022
Source: FAOSTATFSCI
Panama
61
Central America
26.5
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
61 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable