Why PHPMyAdmin shows incorrect Size

It is common for phpMyAdmin to show a different size than your file system or hosting panel. This happens because phpMyAdmin measures data length, while the disk measures file size.

Reclaimed Space:

When data is deleted from a MySQL database, the space on the disk might not be immediately released back to the operating system. Instead, MySQL marks this space as "claimed but unused." When new data is added, MySQL prioritizes using this reclaimed space before requesting new space from the disk. This can lead to a discrepancy where the database's file size on disk remains larger than the sum of its current data and index sizes as reported by phpMyAdmin.

This is caused by the engine being used in PHPMyAdmin called InnoDB. 

When using MySQL or MariaDB, the database uses a system called InnoDB to store data. When you delete data or remove tables, InnoDB doesn't immediately give the space back to your server. Instead, it marks that space as available for future use for that specific table on your database ONLY. So, even though PHPMyAdmin might show a smaller database size after you delete data, the actual disk space is still being used until you take extra steps, like optimizing the tables or backing up and restoring the database.