Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (71 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.
be 21.0% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 19.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Latvia, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2016.
Economy
pay a 42.5% lower top tax rate
Switzerland has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Latvia, the top tax rate is 23.0% as of 2016.
make 56.3% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $68,400 as of 2020, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $29,900 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 2.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Latvia, that number is 6.1% as of 2019.
be 43.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Switzerland, 16.0% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.9% as of 2018.
Life
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2017.
be 35.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Latvia, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2022.
have 15.7% fewer children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 10.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Latvia, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 14.3% less on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Latvia spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 41.6% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: State Revenue Service, Latvia, The World Factbook, Swiss Federal Tax Administration.
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.