Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
be 52.7% less likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mexico, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
have 37.2% fewer doctors per person
Mexico has 25.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 26.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 29.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 42.5% more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 12.5% less likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 83.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.2% less on education
Mexico spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.5% more on healthcare
Mexico 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 73.3% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 52.9% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 39.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.0% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 16.6% less home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 43.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 24.7% less CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 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: Mexico vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.