Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Romania instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 36.8% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 45.3% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.
see 13.8% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.
Economy
be 18.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.
make 14.3% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.8% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.1% less on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 21.6% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 54.8% less coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.
Safety
be 55.6% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 39.0% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.
live with 7.5 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 31.4% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 15.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Romania
Romania: At a glance
How big is Romania compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.