Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Romania, you would:
Health
be 31.2% less likely to be obese
In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.
see 16.1% more spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
be 58.1% more likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 16.7% more money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
be 22.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 63.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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.
be 58.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 31.7% more on education
Romania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 27.5% more on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to be murdered
Romania has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 86.6% less strain on fresh water
Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 45.7% more electricity
Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
find 28.1% less home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 13.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Romania vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.