Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.7 years less

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 59.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 6.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

pay a 72.0% lower top tax rate

Panama has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 64.5% less money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $35,800 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Panama, 21.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 23.0% more children

In Panama, there are approximately 17.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 92.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Panama, approximately 50.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 13.0% less likely to be literate

In Panama, the literacy rate is 95.7% as of 2019. In Guatemala, it is 83.3% as of 2021.

be 59.2% more 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 25.0% less likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 68.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 20.5% less on education

Panama spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 33.0% less on healthcare

Panama spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 83.9% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Directorate of Revenues, Panama, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

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