Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nigeria instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 63.8% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 13.7% of people as of 2024.
live 25.1 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.2% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nigeria spends $260 as of 2023.
have 76.6% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Nigeria has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 51.3% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nigeria scores 38 as of 2021.
be 51.7% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nigeria, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% 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 Nigeria, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2022.
make 93.8% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $1,224 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nigeria, there are 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.8 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 Nigeria, 993.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.8% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Nigeria, it is 70.4% as of 2024.
be 5.8 times 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 Nigeria, on the other hand, 69.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Panama, approximately 97% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 61% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 43.4% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nigeria, about 41.2% do as of 2024.
be 13.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Panama, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 82% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 87.0% less on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nigeria spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 49.7% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 65.7% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Panama, 33% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2016. In Nigeria, that number is 79% as of 2019.
be 34.5% more likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 15.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nigeria, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.6% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Nigeria has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 10.7 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nigeria withdraws 10% as of 2022.
use 94.7% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nigeria uses 144 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.2% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nigeria, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Nigeria
Nigeria: At a glance
How big is Nigeria compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.