Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.4 years less

In Slovakia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 15.1% more likely to be obese

In Slovakia, 20.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Latvia, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 11.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Slovakia, 5.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 64.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Slovakia, 13.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

Life

be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Slovakia, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Latvia, 18.0 women do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 30.4% more on education

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

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 Slovakia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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