Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Panama, you would:
Health
have 16.1% more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
live 4.3 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 42.9% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
Economy
be 36.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 62.9% more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.3% 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 Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
have 16.0% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.3% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 73.2% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.5% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 50.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.8% more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
use 3.9 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 17.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.4 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.