Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
live 8.0 years longer
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.4% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
have 31.8% more doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.
have 14.7% more access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Switzerland scores 86 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
be 29.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Switzerland, however, that number is 15.8% as of 2021.
make 4.4 times more money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.7% 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 Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 26.1% more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 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 Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.5% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 60.6% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 76.0% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 75.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.6% more home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
use 88.9% more electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.4 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% 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 Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.