Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Panama, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 79.2% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 28.9% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 84.0% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 21.7% 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 Nicaragua, on the other hand, 9.4 children do as of 2024.
have 20.6% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 62.2% 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 Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 15.6% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.2% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 63.5% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 86.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 68.1% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 76.4% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 69.7% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.