How much coast is there?

Panama’s coastline is 93% longer than Costa Rica’s.

Costa Rica: 1,290 km (2026 edition) · Panama: 2,490 km (2026 edition)

How high can you climb?

Costa Rica’s highest peak towers 344 m above Panama’s.

Costa Rica: 3,819 m (2026 edition) · Panama: 3,475 m (2026 edition)

How many people live there?

Costa Rica has 13% more people than Panama.

Costa Rica: 5.15 million (2025) · Panama: 4.57 million (2025)

How crowded is it?

Costa Rica is 64% more densely populated than Panama.

Costa Rica: 101 per km² (2025) · Panama: 62 per km² (2025)

How old is the typical person?

The typical person in Costa Rica is 4.5 years older than in Panama.

Costa Rica: 34.1 years (2023) · Panama: 29.6 years (2023)

How many children per woman?

Women in Panama have 0.8 more children on average than in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 1.32 children per woman (2024) · Panama: 2.11 children per woman (2024)

How many people are 65 or older?

13% of people in Costa Rica are 65 or older, versus 9.7% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 12.8% (2025) · Panama: 9.7% (2025)

How many Nobel laureates were born there?

Costa Rica has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Panama 0.0.

Costa Rica: 1.9 (2025) · Panama: 0 (2025)

How many official languages?

Costa Rica and Panama are practically level.

Costa Rica: 1 (2026) · Panama: 1 (2026)

How big is the economy?

Costa Rica’s economy is 14% larger than Panama’s.

Costa Rica: $103 billion (2025) · Panama: $90.5 billion (2025)

How much is produced per person?

Panama produces 30% more per person than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: Int$33,815 (2025) · Panama: Int$43,902 (2025)

How evenly is income shared?

Income is more unequally shared in Panama than in Costa Rica (Gini 4.2 points higher).

Costa Rica: 45.5 (2025) · Panama: 49.7 (2024)

How many people are looking for work?

Unemployment is 8.4% in Panama, versus 6.8% in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 6.8% (2025) · Panama: 8.4% (2025)

How expensive is it?

Costa Rica’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Panama’s.

Costa Rica: 59% (2025) · Panama: 45% (2025)

How much is spent on health?

Panama spends 34% more on health per person than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: $1,163 (2023) · Panama: $1,558 (2023)

How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?

A baby in Panama is 32% more likely to die before turning one than in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 9.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Panama: 12 per 1,000 (2024)

How many doctors are there?

Costa Rica has 65% more doctors per person than Panama.

Costa Rica: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Panama: 1.6 per 1,000 (2022)

How common is obesity?

38% of adults in Panama are obese, versus 33% in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 33.4% (2024) · Panama: 37.8% (2024)

How many adults smoke?

7.9% of adults in Costa Rica smoke, versus 4.8% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 7.9% (2024) · Panama: 4.8% (2024)

How do people rate their lives?

People in Costa Rica rate their lives 0.89 points higher than in Panama.

Costa Rica: 7.44 (2025) · Panama: 6.55 (2025)

How much do people drink?

Adults in Panama drink 82% more alcohol than in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 4 litres (2023) · Panama: 7.2 litres (2023)

How much meat is on the menu?

Panama has 22% more meat per person than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 64.1 kg (2023) · Panama: 78 kg (2023)

How much food is there per day?

Panama has 43 kcal more food per person per day than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 3,061 kcal (2023) · Panama: 3,105 kcal (2023)

How long do people work?

Costa Rica: 2,177 hours (2023) · Panama: no data

How long do people go to school?

Adults in Panama went to school 2 years longer than in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 8.8 years (2023) · Panama: 10.8 years (2023)

How many tourists visit?

Costa Rica welcomed 68% more tourists per resident than Panama (2019).

Costa Rica: 0.57 (2024) · Panama: 0.34 (2022)

How many people are online?

87% of people in Costa Rica are online, versus 73% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 87% (2024) · Panama: 73% (2024)

Who has electricity at home?

100% of people in Costa Rica have electricity, versus 96% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 99.8% (2024) · Panama: 96% (2024)

How many live in cities?

80% of people in Costa Rica live in cities, versus 66% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 80% (2025) · Panama: 66% (2025)

How many phones per person?

Panama has 157 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Costa Rica 136.

Costa Rica: 136 (2024) · Panama: 157 (2023)

How much railway is there?

Costa Rica’s railway network is 3.6 times as long as Panama’s.

Costa Rica: 278 km (2014) · Panama: 77 km (2014)

How much do they fly?

Airlines from Panama fly 9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 0.38 (2023) · Panama: 3.45 (2023)

How much of the land is forest?

Forest covers 60% of Costa Rica, but only 56% of Panama.

Costa Rica: 60.4% (2023) · Panama: 56.3% (2023)

How much CO₂ does each person emit?

The average person in Panama emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 1.7 t (2024) · Panama: 2.8 t (2024)

How green is the power grid?

100% of Costa Rica’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Panama.

Costa Rica: 100% (2025) · Panama: 68% (2024)

How clean is the air?

The air in Costa Rica carries 38% more fine dust than in Panama.

Costa Rica: 20.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Panama: 14.7 µg/m³ (2024)

How common is murder?

You are 52% more likely to be murdered in Costa Rica than in Panama.

Costa Rica: 17.7 per 100k (2023) · Panama: 11.7 per 100k (2023)

How dangerous are the roads?

Roads in Costa Rica are 2.1 times as deadly as in Panama.

Costa Rica: 15.5 per 100k (2021) · Panama: 7.3 per 100k (2021)

How warm is it?

Panama is on average 1.9 °C warmer than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: 23.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Panama: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg)

How much rain falls?

Costa Rica gets 6% more rain than Panama.

Costa Rica: 3,367 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Panama: 3,189 mm (2016–2025 avg)