Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 75.1% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 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 Norway, 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 3.4 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 86.8% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
see 65.2% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 67.3% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
be 77.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 79.1% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 63.6% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 37.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 26.5% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.5% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 11.7% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.1% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 16.3 times more likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.9% less strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 59.9% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
use 88.5% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.8% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Norway vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.