Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Panama, you would:
Health
live 5.3 years longer
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 79.3% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 66.5% more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $25,400 as of 2020, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $42,300 as of 2020.
be 38.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 6.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2018. In South Korea, that number is 3.8% as of 2019.
be 34.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 22.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 52.0% higher top tax rate
Panama has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 78.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Panama, approximately 52.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Korea, 11.0 women do as of 2017.
be 82.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Panama, approximately 16.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 61.5% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 18.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 51.6% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 64.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Korea, about 97.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 45.2% more on education
Panama spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Korea spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Directorate of Revenues, Panama, National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.