Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 45.2% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.0 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
be 74.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
be 4.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 26.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
be 68.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Latvia, on the other hand, 2.2 children do as of 2024.
have 44.2% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.1% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 83.8% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.3% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 29.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Malaysia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Latvia, that number is 75% as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 90.0% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
live with 70.3% less strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 25.9% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 36.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.1% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.