Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Panama instead of British Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 2.3 years longer

In British Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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Life

have 93.1% more children

In British Virgin Islands, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 22.1% less on education

British Virgin Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 31.1 times more coastline

British Virgin Islands has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Infrastructure

find 27.2% less home broadband

British Virgin Islands has 24.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 17.6% more CO2

British Virgin Islands emits 2.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: British Virgin Islands vs. Panama

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Panama is 36.2% cheaper than British Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
British Virgin Islands is about 499 times smaller than Panama.
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Moving from British Virgin Islands to Panama · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Panama: At a glance

Panama is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 74,340 sq km. Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan (estimated to cost $5.3 billion) to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2015.
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How big is Panama compared to British Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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