Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 7.4 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 59.0% more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 32.2% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iraq, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 10.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
make 3.7 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 24.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
Life
be 43.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.5% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Panama, it is 96.2% as of 2024.
be 40.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 38.0% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 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 10.7% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.6% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 42.9 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 66.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.5% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 97.1% more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 80.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.1% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.