Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 85.2% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
be 81.8% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
live 11.8 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.7% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 94.5% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 37.2% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
be 26.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
make 94.3% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
have 76.8% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.2 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.2% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
be 2.5 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.1% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 56.4% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 35.6% 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.4% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 86.6% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 69.2% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 58.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.7% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 22.4 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
use 97.2% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.2% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.