If you lived in Latvia instead of Palau, you would:

Health

live 7.1 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 44.9% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 63.4% more spent on your healthcare

Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.

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have 87.9% more doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.

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have 15.4% more access to essential health services

Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 34.7% more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.

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Life

be 78.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 88.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 18.6 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.

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have 35.5% fewer children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 10.5% more likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Latvia, about 92.7% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 32.9% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 25.6% more on education

Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 67.2% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.

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Safety

be 55.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.5 times more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 95.6% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Latvia: At a glance

Latvia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 62,249 sq km. The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 28% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the eurozone in 2014.
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How big is Latvia compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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