Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
see 72.1% more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
be 59.2% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 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 Costa Rica, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 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 15.4% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
have 39.5% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 22.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
be 26.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
Life
have 58.9% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 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 16.5% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.3% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.0% more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 34.0% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 52.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.7% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 19.0% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
find 22.2% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.1% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 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: Costa Rica vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.