Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 26.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 14.1 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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 14.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 6.1 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 62.5% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 38.2% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.1 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 84.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.8% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Panama, it is 96.2% as of 2024.
be 56.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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.
have 38.8% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.1% less on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.6 times more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 71.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 60.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ghana, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Panama, that number is 33% as of 2016.
Infrastructure
find 27.5 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 85.7% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 4.8 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 80.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.9 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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 (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.