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

Health

live 6.7 years longer

In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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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be 48.9% less likely to be obese

In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 6.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.

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have 60.3% more doctors per person

Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.

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have 36.8% more access to essential health services

Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 30.4% less likely to die by suicide

Tonga 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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Economy

make 3.0 times more money

Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.

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be 4.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 44.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tonga, approximately 67.0 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 53.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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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have 31.1% fewer children

In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 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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Expenditures

spend 53.5% less on education

Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 13.2% more on healthcare

Tonga spends 7.4% 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 5.9 times more coastline

Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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Safety

be 14.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.2 times more home broadband

Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 29.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.

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emit 68.1% more CO2

Tonga emits 1.6 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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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How big is Panama compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.

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