Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 7.2 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 62.5% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 67.5% more spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 18.7% more access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 23.2% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 81.0% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 59.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 37.7% more money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.9% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.9% fewer children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.2% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 19.2% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.8 times more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 80.8% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 29.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 14.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Latvia, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.6% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 83.5 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 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. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.