Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 82.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 7.9 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 6.5 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
have 53.1% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
make 3.2 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.4% more likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.
be 91.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Latvia, on the other hand, 2.2 children do as of 2024.
have 74.6% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.9% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Latvia, about 92.7% do as of 2024.
be 11.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.2% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 43.7% less coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 21.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.5 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
use 3.7 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.0 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 24.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 78.0% more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.