Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Panama instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 2.6 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 36.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 12.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Panama, that number is 8.2% as of 2022.

be 25.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Virgin Islands, 28.9% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Panama, however, that number is 21.5% as of 2019.

make 10.0% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $37,000 as of 2016, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $33,300 as of 2022.

Life

have 56.8% more children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 17.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Panama, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2022.

Geography

see 13.2 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.

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

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 Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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