Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 15.7% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
be 15.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 13.5 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 59.2% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 51.1% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
be 6.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 74.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 66.7% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.4% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 12.4% more coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 3.7 times more likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 19.6% more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 70.5% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 75.1 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.