Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 3.7 times more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $10,300 as of 2023, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $37,800 as of 2023.

be 47.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 31.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

Life

be 81.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Jamaica, approximately 99.0 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 Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Latvia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

be 56.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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 46.8% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 13.6% more on healthcare

Jamaica spends 6.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 51.3% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 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.
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How big is Latvia compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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