Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 27.1% less likely to be obese
In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.
live 6.5 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 46.8% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 24.7% fewer doctors per person
Malta has 45.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
have 11.8% less access to essential health services
Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
be 34.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malta, 16.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
make 45.1% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malta, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
have 10.4% fewer children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.6% less on healthcare
Malta spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 42.1% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
use 24.8% less electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 90.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.8% more CO2
Malta emits 3.2 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.