Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 1.9 years longer
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 88.8% more spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
be 33.7% less likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 83.3% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Colombia, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 51.5% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
have 35.9% fewer doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 31.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 2.3 times more money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
have 19.8% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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.
Expenditures
spend 53.0% less on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.4% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 53.0% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 54.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 75.2% less strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 75.0% more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 29.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.2% more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.