Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
live 2.2 years longer
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 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.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
be 56.5% less likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ecuador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 30.4% more likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
have 29.7% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 32.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 33.1% less on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 10.2% more on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.3% more coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 74.4% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 68.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.7% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 62.0% more electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 26.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.