Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 20.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Panama, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Belize, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2020.

live 1.8 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Belize, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 64.2% less money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $35,800 as of 2023, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $12,800 as of 2023.

be 23.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 6.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.

be 90.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Belize, however, that number is 41.0% as of 2013.

Life

be 32.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Panama, approximately 16.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belize, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2022.

be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Panama, approximately 50.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belize, 130.0 women do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 28.9% less on healthcare

Panama spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belize, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 2.2 times more on education

Panama spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belize spends 8.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 84.5% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Belize: At a glance

Belize is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 22,806 sq km. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.
Read more

How big is Belize compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Belize.or Panama It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.