Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan 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 Bhutan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
be 65.3% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.5 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 79.6% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 66.0% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 23.1% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 48.9% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 42.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 77.3% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.0% more 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.5% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 14.2% more 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 21.0% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.4% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.9% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.9% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 67.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.9% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 56.7% more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 26.6% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.