Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 11.0% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
be 39.3% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.1 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 39.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
make 51.3% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 98.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Panama, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.6% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.2% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.0 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 19.7% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 41.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.4% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 35.2% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 43.2% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.