Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Belize, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years longer
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.1% less likely to be obese
In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
see 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 14.7% more access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 21.3% less likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Belize, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Panama, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
have 12.1% fewer children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.5% less on education
Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.5 times more coastline
Belize has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 58.3% less likely to be murdered
Belize has a homicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 58.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belize, road accidents kill 17.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.9% more home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 28.6% less strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belize vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.