Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Panama, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 12.4% more likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 64.7% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.3% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 49.7% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 64.1% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 20.0% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 72.9% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 79.9% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 24.6% more likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 71.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 54.4% more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 21.7 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 75.9% more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.