Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 46.8% more doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 14.7% more access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 54.9% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 15.7 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.9 times more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
be 5.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
Life
be 22.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.3% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.5% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.5% less on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 82.7% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 27.7% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 58.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.0% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 23.5% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 67.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.8% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.