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

Health

live 13.2 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 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.

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be 17.3% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 8.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.

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have 62.5% more access to essential health services

Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 81.2% less likely to die by suicide

Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 7.7 times more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

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be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.

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Life

be 53.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 69.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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.

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have 37.3% fewer children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.5% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 95% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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be 18.6% less likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 84.9% less on education

Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 23.9% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.2 times more coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Safety

be 17.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 604.3 times more home broadband

Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 65.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Kiribati, air pollution causes 49.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.6 times more CO2

Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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

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