Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
live 6.4 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 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.
see 56.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 22.3% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
have 15.7% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.
be 27.7% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
make 73.2% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
have 38.4% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.9% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 18.9% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.0% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 93.8% more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Latvia, that number is 75% as of 2020.
be 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.4% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 92.3% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 57.2% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.