Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 63.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
be 14.7% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.5 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 64.6% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
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 El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 25.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 70.9% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 26.7% 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 El Salvador, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.4% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 11.5% more on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.7% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 32.5% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 14.8% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Panama, 33% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.3% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 13.4 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 58.1% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 44.9% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 82.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.