Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 83.8% more spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 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. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 21.6% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 52.5% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 22.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 88.5% more money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
have 59.9% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 81.8% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.2% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 30.4 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 41.6% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 32.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.8% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.9 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 70.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 64.7% more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
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. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.