Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 41.1% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 18.8% more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
live 9.6 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 61.9% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 67.0% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 86.5% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.8% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 65.2% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 34.0% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 73.7% more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Infrastructure
find 71.2% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 150.2 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.0 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.