Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 41.4% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 67.8% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.2 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 77.7% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 83.7% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 20.0% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 44.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 82.9% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 81.6% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.0% less likely to be literate
In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 6.2 times 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.3% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 35.4% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.7% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 38.2% more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 44.9% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 42.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.