If you lived in Burundi instead of Panama, you would:

Health

be 27.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 86.3% less likely to be obese

In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 16.0 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare

Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.

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have 95.2% fewer doctors per person

Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.

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have 47.4% less access to essential health services

Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 89.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.

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be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.

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make 98.8% less money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 10.6 times 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 Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 22.4% less likely to be literate

In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

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be 2.5 times 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 Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 88.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Panama, approximately 97% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 88.2% less likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.

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be 30.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Panama, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 82.2% more on education

Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.

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Safety

be 68.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.9% less home broadband

Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.

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live with 11.3 times more strain on fresh water

Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 97.4% less CO2

Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Burundi: At a glance

Burundi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 25,680 sq km. Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010, continues to face many political and economic challenges.
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