World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country is 48% bigger than Panama.
Panama: 75,320 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Panama’s coastline is 5.7 times as long as the median country’s.
Panama: 2,490 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Panama’s highest peak towers 1,140 m above the median country’s.
Panama: 3,475 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 62% more people than Panama.
Panama: 4.57 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 60% more densely populated than Panama.
Panama: 62 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 3.3 cm taller than in Panama.
Panama: 170.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 2.4 cm taller than in Panama.
Panama: 158.2 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 1.5 years older than in Panama.
Panama: 29.6 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Panama have 0.2 more children on average than in the median country.
Panama: 2.11 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.7% of people in Panama are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Panama: 9.7% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Panama and the median country are practically level.
Panama: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Panama and the median country are practically level.
Panama: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Panama’s economy is 2 times the size of the median country’s.
Panama: $90.5 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Panama produces 2.1 times as much per person as the median country.
Panama: Int$43,902 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Panama than in the median country (Gini 15.3 points higher).
Panama: 49.7 (2024) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.4% in Panama, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Panama: 8.4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Panama: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country and Panama are nearly identical here.
Panama: 45% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Panama spends 3.3 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Panama: $1,558 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Panama live 5.2 years longer than in the median country.
Panama: 79.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in Panama.
Panama: 12 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 3% more doctors per person than Panama.
Panama: 1.6 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Panama are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Panama: 37.8% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 4.8% in Panama.
Panama: 4.8% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Panama rate their lives 0.71 points higher than in the median country.
Panama: 6.55 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Panama drink 66% more alcohol than in the median country.
Panama: 7.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Panama has 39% more meat per person than the median country.
Panama: 78 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Panama has 167 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Panama: 3,105 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Panama: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Panama went to school 0.9 years longer than in the median country.
Panama: 10.8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 2% more tourists per resident than Panama (2019).
Panama: 0.34 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 73% in Panama.
Panama: 73% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 96% in Panama.
Panama: 96% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in Panama live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Panama: 66% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Panama has 157 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Panama: 157 (2023) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 28 times as long as Panama’s.
Panama: 77 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Panama fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Panama: 3.45 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 56% of Panama, but only 31% of the median country.
Panama: 56.3% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 7% more CO₂ than someone in Panama.
Panama: 2.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Panama’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Panama: 68% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 13% more fine dust than in Panama.
Panama: 14.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.2 times as likely to be murdered in Panama as in the median country.
Panama: 11.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 68% deadlier than in Panama.
Panama: 7.3 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Panama is on average 2.3 °C warmer than the median country.
Panama: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Panama gets 3.1 times as much rain as the median country.
Panama: 3,189 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Panama bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 48% bigger than Panama.
Which has more people, Panama or the median country?
The median country has 62% more people than Panama (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Panama or the median country?
People in Panama live 5.2 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 79.8 years in Panama and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Panama or the median country?
Men in the median country are 3.3 cm taller than in Panama (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
