Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 90.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 7.4 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 74.6% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 37.1% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
be 85.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 72.7% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 61.2% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 78.4% 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.6% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 67.5% 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.6% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.7% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
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 Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 66.2 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 49.3% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.1% more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.