Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 12.7% less likely to be obese

In Latvia, 23.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mongolia, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

live 4.5 years less

In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (71 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Mongolia, that number is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 56.5% lower top tax rate

Latvia has a top tax rate of 23.0% as of 2016. In Mongolia, the top tax rate is 10.0% as of 2016.

make 56.9% less money

Latvia has a GDP per capita of $37,800 as of 2023, while in Mongolia, the GDP per capita is $16,300 as of 2023.

be 23.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Mongolia, however, that number is 27.8% as of 2020.

Life

have 79.5% more children

In Latvia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mongolia, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Latvia, approximately 18.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mongolia, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Latvia, approximately 4.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mongolia, on the other hand, 20.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Latvia, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Mongolia, that number is 88% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 21.7% less on education

Latvia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mongolia spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 34.7% less on healthcare

Latvia spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mongolia, that number is 4.9% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: State Revenue Service, Latvia, The World Factbook, General Department of National Taxation.

Mongolia: At a glance

Mongolia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,553,556 sq km. The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; more ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party that lasted until January 2012. In 2009, current President ELBEGDORJ of the Democratic Party was elected to office and was re-elected for his second term in June 2013. In 2010, the MPRP voted to retake the name of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), a name it used in the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, a new party was formed by former president ENKHBAYAR, which adopted the MPRP name. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, a coalition of four political parties led by the Democratic Party, gained control of the Parliament.
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