If you lived in Panama instead of Qatar, you would:

Health

be 10.3% less likely to be obese

In Qatar, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 14.4% more spent on your healthcare

Qatar spends $2,901 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.

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be 30.0% less likely to die by suicide

Qatar has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Qatar, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.7 years less

In Qatar, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 46.2% fewer doctors per person

Qatar has 30.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.

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Economy

be 64.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Qatar, 0.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.

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make 72.7% less money

Qatar has a GDP per capita of $72,525 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

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Life

have 66.7% more children

In Qatar, there are approximately 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 9.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Qatar, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Qatar, approximately 4.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Panama, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.8% less likely to have internet access

In Qatar, approximately 98.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 23.5% less on education

Qatar spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 3.3 times more on healthcare

Qatar spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.4 times more coastline

Qatar has a total of 563 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Safety

be 167.3 times more likely to be murdered

Qatar has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 53.4% more home broadband

Qatar has 11.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water

Qatar withdraws 431% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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use 86.4% less electricity

Qatar uses 19,963 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 81.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Qatar, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.

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emit 94.2% less CO2

Qatar emits 47.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this

Panama: At a glance

Panama is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 74,340 sq km. Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan (estimated to cost $5.3 billion) to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2015.
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