Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

make 2.3 times more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $16,200 as of 2023, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $37,800 as of 2023.

be 28.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 9.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 20.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iran, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2007. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

Life

be 18.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Iran, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Latvia, 18.0 women do as of 2020.

be 12.6% more likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

be 67.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Iran, approximately 14.8 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 42.0% fewer children

In Iran, there are approximately 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 13.7% more likely to have internet access

In Iran, approximately 79.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Latvia, about 89.8% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 66.7% more on education

Iran spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Latvia spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 41.5% more on healthcare

Iran spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 79.6% less coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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.
Read more

How big is Latvia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Latvia.or Iran It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.