Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 8.0 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 97.6% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.
see 71.4% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 24.1% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
have 12.8% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
be 42.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Switzerland, 15.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
make 77.1% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 35.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
have 20.7% fewer children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 37.7% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.2 times more likely to be murdered
Switzerland 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 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.3% less strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 45.2% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
use 47.1% less electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 4.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Latvia, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.