Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Russia instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 21.1% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 17.6% of people as of 2024.
have 50.4% more doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Russia has 51.1 as of 2022.
live 3.0 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 40.5% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Russia, it is 21.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Russia, that number is 2.1% as of 2025.
be 68.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Russia, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2024.
make 33.3% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $17,547 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.6% 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 Russia, 9.0 women do as of 2023.
have 21.7% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Russia, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 86.4% 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 Russia, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
Geography
see 75.6 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.
Safety
be 20.5% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Latvia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 90% as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Russia, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 93.4% more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Russia uses 7,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 4.0 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Russia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Russia emits 14.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Russia
Russia: At a glance
How big is Russia compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.