If you lived in Mauritius instead of Panama, you would:

Health

be 44.2% less likely to be obese

In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritius, that number is 21.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 6.0 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritius, that number is 74 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 52.8% less spent on your healthcare

Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritius spends $1,566 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 11.6% fewer doctors per person

Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritius has 14.4 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 15.4% less access to essential health services

Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritius scores 66 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritius, it is 10.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 32.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritius, that number is 5.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 61.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Mauritius, however, that number is 8.4% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 34.4% less money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Mauritius, the GDP per capita is $12,991 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

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 Mauritius, 66.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 15.0% 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 Mauritius, on the other hand, 13.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 35.1% fewer children

In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritius, there are 10.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 33.1% less on healthcare

Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritius, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 72.1% more on education

Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritius spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 92.9% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Mauritius, that number is 177 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 80.6% less likely to be murdered

Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritius, that number is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 32.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritius, they kill 9.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 54.3% more home broadband

Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mauritius has 28.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 25.5 times more strain on fresh water

Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritius withdraws 23% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 64.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritius, it causes 28.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 29.2% more CO2

Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritius emits 3.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Mauritius: At a glance

Mauritius is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,030 sq km. Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.
Read more

How big is Mauritius compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mauritius or Panama. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.