Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
live 2.5 years longer
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.7% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 10.3% more access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 43.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 3.1 times more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Panama, approximately 37.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 74.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Panama, approximately 12.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 42.0% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.6% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 29.7% more on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.3% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 90.8% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 37.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 58.7 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.