Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Panama instead of Guam, you would:

Health

live 2.4 years longer

In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 50.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 52.7% less money

Guam has a GDP per capita of $41,833 as of 2022, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 19.8 times more coastline

Guam has a total of 126 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 9.9 times more home broadband

Guam has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Guam vs. Panama

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
Panama is 49.1% cheaper than Guam overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Guam is about 139 times smaller than Panama.
→
Moving from Guam to Panama · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Panama compared to Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Panama or Guam. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.