Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.6 years longer

In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (71 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 22.8% more money

Latvia has a GDP per capita of $37,800 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 10.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

be 85.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Latvia, 6.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

pay a 95.7% higher top tax rate

Latvia has a top tax rate of 23.0% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 83.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Latvia, approximately 18.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 49.1% less 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 14.5% fewer children

In Latvia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 23.3% less on education

Latvia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 42.7% more on healthcare

Latvia spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 10.0 times more coastline

Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: State Revenue Service, Latvia, The World Factbook, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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