Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 36.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 82.3% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 17.7 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.3% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 87.2% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 46.2% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 95.9% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.5 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.8% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 4.7 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.2% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 73.0% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 62.5% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.8% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.0% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 98.5% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 74.4% less strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 95.3% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.8% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.