Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand 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 New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.2 years longer
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.0% more spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.1% less 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 66.7% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 30.5% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.5% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.8% more on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 87.5% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 8.9 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.