Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Nicaragua, 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 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 11.4% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 22.4% less likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.2 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 65.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 17.1% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 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 18.5% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.9% less on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 46.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 59.5% less strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 4.2 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 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: Nicaragua vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.