Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 90.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
be 71.1% less likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 0.8 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 63.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 74.5% more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.1% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.8% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.4% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.7% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 81.4% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 4.4 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 1082.4 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.