World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country is 72% bigger than Latvia.
Latvia: 64,590 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Latvia’s coastline is 13% longer than the median country’s.
Latvia: 498 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 2,023 m above Latvia’s.
Latvia: 312 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 4 times as many people as Latvia.
Latvia: 1.85 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 3.3 times as densely populated as Latvia.
Latvia: 30 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Latvia are 7.7 cm taller than in the median country.
Latvia: 181.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Latvia are 8.3 cm taller than in the median country.
Latvia: 168.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Latvia is 12 years older than in the median country.
Latvia: 43.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.7 more children on average than in Latvia.
Latvia: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Latvia are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Latvia: 22.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Latvia has produced 5.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Latvia: 5.4 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Latvia and the median country are practically level.
Latvia: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Latvia’s economy is 7% larger than the median country’s.
Latvia: $48.6 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Latvia produces 2.2 times as much per person as the median country.
Latvia: Int$46,137 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Latvia (Gini 0.4 points higher).
Latvia: 34 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.6% in Latvia, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Latvia: 6.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Latvia spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.7%.
Latvia: 3.3% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Latvia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the median country’s.
Latvia: 57% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Latvia spends 3.5 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Latvia: $1,645 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Latvia live 1.8 years longer than in the median country.
Latvia: 76.4 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 5.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Latvia.
Latvia: 2.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Latvia has 2 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Latvia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Latvia are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Latvia: 27.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
35% of adults in Latvia smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Latvia: 34.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Latvia rate their lives 0.53 points higher than in the median country.
Latvia: 6.37 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Latvia drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
Latvia: 14.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Latvia has 47% more meat per person than the median country.
Latvia: 82.7 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Latvia has 404 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Latvia: 3,342 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 349 more hours a year than in Latvia.
Latvia: 1,625 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Latvia went to school 3.5 years longer than in the median country.
Latvia: 13.4 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Latvia welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
Latvia: 1.01 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
93% of people in Latvia are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Latvia: 93% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Latvia and the median country are practically level.
Latvia: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
69% of people in Latvia live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Latvia: 69% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Latvia has 121 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Latvia: 121 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 15% longer than Latvia’s.
Latvia: 1,859 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Latvia fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Latvia: 2.42 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 55% of Latvia, but only 31% of the median country.
Latvia: 55% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Latvia emits 16% more CO₂ than someone in the median country.
Latvia: 3.5 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
73% of Latvia’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Latvia: 73% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 31% more fine dust than in Latvia.
Latvia: 12.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11% more likely to be murdered in Latvia than in the median country.
Latvia: 2.5 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 26% deadlier than in Latvia.
Latvia: 9.8 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 15.3 °C warmer than Latvia.
Latvia: 7.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 32% more rain than Latvia.
Latvia: 769 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Latvia bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The median country is 72% bigger than Latvia.
Which has more people, Latvia or the median country?
The median country has 4 times as many people as Latvia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Latvia or the median country?
People in Latvia live 1.8 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 76.4 years in Latvia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Latvia or the median country?
Men in Latvia are 7.7 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
