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

Health

be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 14.1% less likely to be obese

In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 2.2 times more doctors per person

Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.

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live 3.3 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 21.2% less spent on your healthcare

Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

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be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 28.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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be 15.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.

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make 13.9% more money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

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Life

be 67.6% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 50.0% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 52.7% fewer children

In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.5% more likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Romania, about 91.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 31.5% less on healthcare

Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 32.8% more on education

Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 91.0% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

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Safety

be 90.5% less likely to be murdered

Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 31.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 97.5% more home broadband

Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

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live with 8.5 times more strain on fresh water

Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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emit 35.8% more CO2

Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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