Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Panama, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 77.8% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 53.1% more spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 60.6% more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 14.1% more access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 8.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 83.1% more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.2% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.8% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 70.4% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.5% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 95.9% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 4.2 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 94.7 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.1 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.