Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 15.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 13.7 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 35.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 18.1 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 69.6% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 31.6% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 59.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 21.5 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 28.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.3% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Panama, it is 96.2% as of 2024.
be 63.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 46.9% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 45.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 47.0% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.1% less on education
Gambia 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 2.9 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.1 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 66.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.9 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 59.3% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 81.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.2 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.