Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
be 25.8% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
live 7.0 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 71.8% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 21.2% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
be 50.2% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% 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 Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.
make 66.7% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.9% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.7% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 43.3% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.4% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 24.7% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 83.9% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 99.6% more likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 72.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.5% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 6.4 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 73.0% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 59.5% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 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. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.