If you lived in Panama instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

Health

live 12.7 years longer

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 10.1% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.

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have 32.2% more access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 2.3 times more money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

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Life

be 76.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 47.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 21.0% fewer children

In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 10.4% more likely to have internet access

In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 67.9% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 37.9% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% 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 6.7 times more coastline

Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Safety

be 38.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 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 7.7 times more home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (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 Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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