Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 75.0% more spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 13.8% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 58.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
make 38.6% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.1% more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 39.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 24.4% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.7 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.5 times more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 74.1% less strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 14.4% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
use 74.6% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 15.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 86.5% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.