Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 72.4% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.2 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.9% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
see 40.5% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 55.0% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 64.6% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
make 60.1% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 43.9% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 22.2% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.6% less on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 17.2% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.5% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 8.0 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 10.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.8% less strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 52.4% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
use 66.0% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 54.4% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 41.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.