If you lived in Panama instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:

Health

live 15.9 years longer

In Equatorial Guinea, 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.

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see 5.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.

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have 10.6 times more doctors per person

Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.

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have 69.6% more access to essential health services

Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 53.2% less likely to die by suicide

Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 96.5% more likely to be obese

In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 57.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Equatorial Guinea, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.

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make 3.0 times more money

Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

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Life

be 78.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 74.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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.

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have 47.1% fewer children

In Equatorial Guinea, there are approximately 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 45.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% 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.

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be 15.0% more likely to have internet access

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 8.4 times more coastline

Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Safety

be 37.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 181.3 times more home broadband

Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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use 3.4 times more electricity

Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water

Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 71.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Panama: At a glance

Panama is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 74,340 sq km. Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan (estimated to cost $5.3 billion) to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2015.
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How big is Panama compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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