If you lived in Latvia instead of Greece, you would:

Health

be 18.7% less likely to be obese

In Greece, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 5.4 years less

In Greece, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 12.2% less spent on your healthcare

Greece spends $3,454 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.

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have 48.3% fewer doctors per person

Greece has 65.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.

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be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Greece has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 23.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Greece, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.

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be 19.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Greece, 18.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

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Life

be 31.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Greece, approximately 3.2 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.

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be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Greece, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 13.2% less on healthcare

Greece spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 27.8% more on education

Greece spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 96.4% less coastline

Greece has a total of 13,676 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.

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Safety

be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered

Greece has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 34.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Greece, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 95.0% less strain on fresh water

Greece withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 42.4% less home broadband

Greece has 44.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.

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use 19.6% less electricity

Greece uses 4,686 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 27.7% less CO2

Greece emits 5.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 73.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Greece, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Latvia: At a glance

Latvia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 62,249 sq km. The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 28% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the eurozone in 2014.
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How big is Latvia compared to Greece? See an in-depth size comparison.

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