Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 26.9% more doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 32.2% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 33.4% less likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guatemala, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 34.8% more likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 61.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 3.0 times more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 60.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.2% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Panama, it is 96.2% as of 2024.
be 30.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 23.0% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 20.8% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.8% less on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 22.5% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.2 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 49.9% less likely to be murdered
Guatemala has a homicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 42.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 84.3% less strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 3.7 times more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 57.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 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: Guatemala vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.