Country page · Latin America & Caribbean
If you were born in Panama
1 in 1,850 babies · 0.05% of births · about 72,531 a year
Right now, about 0.05% of the world's babies are born in Panama — 1 in 1,850, or roughly 72,531 a year and 199 a day. Life expectancy there is 79.8 years.
How the 1 in 1,850 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Panama has about 72,531 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.05% — 1 in 1,850. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Panama, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 82.7 · men 76.9 | 79.8 years | 38th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 15.3 / 1,000 | 1.5% | 83rd lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 12.0 / 1,000 | 1.2% | 78th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 37 | 79th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 2.11 | 87th lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 12.9 years | 89th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 53.7% | 71st highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $43,902 | 49th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 49.70 | 10th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 66.2% | 77th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 16.0% | 85th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 72.8% | 102nd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 11.7 | 134th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 40.5% | 115th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 1.10% | 33rd highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 4.8% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Panama compared with Latin America & Caribbean
Life expectancy in Panama is 79.8 years, against a Latin America & Caribbean average of 75.1. The under-5 death rate is 1.5%, versus 1.6% across the region. Income per person is $43,902, against $26,587 regionally; expected schooling is 12.9 years against 13.2. 66.2% of people live in cities, against 71.1% in the region.
| Indicator | Panama | Latin America & Caribbean | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 79.8 yrs | 75.1 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $43,902 | $26,587 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 12.9 yrs | 13.2 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 66.2% | 71.1% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 79.8 years on average, with roughly 15.3 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 12.9 years of school, and income per person is around $43,902. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Panama
The game draws Panama in about 1 of every 1,850 births. From there the life runs year by year: 79.8 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.5% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $43,902 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Cuba — 1 in 1,423
- Chance of being born in El Salvador — 1 in 1,351
- Chance of being born in Costa Rica — 1 in 2,606
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.