Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.8% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
have 13.3% more access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. France scores 85 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.
make 86.2% more money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
be 14.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 63.2% 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 France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
have 40.6% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.5% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.1% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 58.5% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 9.7 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 46.4% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 52.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.0% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
use 71.1% more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
live with 21.0 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.