Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 11.3% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 7.1 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 56.8% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 88.8% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 26.7% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 70.4% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.2 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Latvia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.0% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.0% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 86.6% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 68.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 71.1% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 56.4% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 24.9% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 37.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.