Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 71.0% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 22.1 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.9% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
have 95.4% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
have 59.0% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Central African Republic, however, that number is 68.8% as of 2021.
make 97.2% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 18.7 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 Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.9 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 81.9% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 81.1% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 61.7% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.9% less on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 28.0% more on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 62.2% less strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.9% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.8% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.