If you lived in Latvia instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2019.

live 17.1 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 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 2.7 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Latvia, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 20.6 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $33,000 as of 2022.

be 60.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2021.

pay a 23.3% lower top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Latvia, the top tax rate is 23.0% as of 2016.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Latvia, that number is 6.8% as of 2022.

Life

be 95.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Latvia, 18.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.1 times more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Latvia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

be 93.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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 73.1% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 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 3.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 27% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Latvia, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 7.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Latvia, about 89.8% do as of 2022.

be 36.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 34.1% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Latvia spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 14.8% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Latvia, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 23.9% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.


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

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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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