Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 76.2% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sweden, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.3 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
see 57.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 63.1% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 34.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
make 68.7% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 70.6% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, 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.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 66.3% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.8% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.6% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 10.2 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 74.9% less strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 55.4% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
use 77.8% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Panama uses 2,715 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 23.2% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.