Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 5.9 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 14.7% more access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 20.7% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 45.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 2.3 times more money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 33.3% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 40.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.4% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 48.4% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.6% less coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 56.8% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Latvia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 71.8% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 88.4% more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 51.8 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.