Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 56.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 15.8 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 13.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 11.9 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 77.3% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 61.3% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 42.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 10.0 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 52.4% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 57.3% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
be 33.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 95% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.0% less on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 83.1% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.2 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 31.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 73.2% more likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 8.5 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 42.3% less strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 12.0 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 83.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.8 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 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: Cameroon vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.