Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Panama, you would:
Health
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 10.3% more access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
live 0.9 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.1% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 54.2% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 33.2% fewer children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.1% more likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% 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. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.0 times more coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 50.8% less likely to be murdered
Panama has a homicide rate of 11.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 94.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 4.7 times more electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 31.3 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 17.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.0 times more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.