Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 25.1 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 12.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 4.3 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 34.1% less likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 61.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 16.2 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.7% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Panama, it is 96.2% as of 2024.
be 82.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
have 51.2% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 58.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 76.6% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
be 15.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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.
Expenditures
spend 7.7 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 98.8% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 25.7% less likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 57.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 58.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Nigeria, 79% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Panama, that number is 33% as of 2016.
Infrastructure
find 226.6 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
live with 90.7% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 18.8 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 77.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.8 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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 (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.