Croatia vs Latvia
Latvia is 14% larger than Croatia.
CroatiaLatviaCroatia moved onto Latvia · Equal-area projection
0.88×
Croatia is 0.88× the area of Latvia. Put the other way, Latvia is 1.14× the size of Croatia.
 Croatia |  Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLatvia: 1.14× the area | 56,594 km²#124 of 194 | 64,594 km²#122 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCroatia: 2.1× the population | 3,876,200#129 of 194 · 2025 | 1,847,785#148 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCroatia: 2.39× the density | 68 / km²#118 of 194 | 29 / km²#155 of 194 |
| Urban populationLatvia: 1.19× the urban share | 58%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#80 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCroatia: 1.18× the births per woman | 1.46 per woman#144 of 192 · 2024 | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCroatia: 1.25 points higher | +0.26%#146 of 192 · 2025 | −0.99%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCroatia: 1.2× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 6.9 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLatvia: 1.08× the death rate | 13.2 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 | 14.3 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Latvia: 1.5 points higher | 13.7%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 15.2%#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Croatia: 1.4 points higher | 23.6%#8 of 192 · 2025 | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCroatia: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCroatia: 44.4× the refugees for its size | 4.44 per 1,000#30 of 190 · 2025 | 0.10 per 1,000#118 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCroatia: 2.5 years longer | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 | 76.4 years#74 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCroatia: 1.86× the infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | 2.2 per 1,000 births#177 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCroatia: 1.15× the doctors per person | 3.91 per 1,000#32 of 178 · 2022 | 3.40 per 1,000#49 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 81.2%#21 of 145 · 2023 | 82.9%#19 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexThe same | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaAbout the same income per person | $25,360#45 of 185 · 2025 | $24,980#47 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCroatia: 2.16× the economy | $105.06B2025 | $48.62B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Croatia: 1.1× the output per person | $50,946#42 of 184 · 2025 | $46,137#47 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCroatia: 1.3 points higher | +3.4%#89 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationThe same | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLatvia: 1.32× the unemployment | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 | 6.6%#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLatvia: 1.33× the share in extreme poverty | 0.3%#116 of 149 · 2023 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Latvia: 3.9 higher | 30.1#118 of 149 · 2023 | 34.0#79 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLatvia: 2.4 points higher | 4.3% of jobs#136 of 178 · 2025 | 6.7% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCroatia: 4.6 points higher | 26.4% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 | 21.8% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLatvia: 2.2 points higher | 69.3% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCroatia: 2.0 points higher | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLatvia: 14.6 points higher | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 | 62.6% of GDP#32 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLatvia: 1.79× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#63 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#16 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLatvia: 1.11× the share online | 84%#84 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#40 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLatvia: 1.6× the forest share | 35% of land#85 of 192 · 2024 | 56% of land#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personCroatia: 1.32× the CO₂ per person | 4.83 t a year#50 of 185 · 2024 | 3.65 t a year#70 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLatvia: 9.9 points higher | 34.1%#73 of 190 · 2021 | 44.0%#55 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Croatia: 1.22× the air pollution | 15.8 µg/m³#110 of 191 · 2023 | 13.0 µg/m³#134 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCroatia: 19.6 points higher | 38.4% of land#18 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLatvia: 6.6 points higher | 15.2% of land#74 of 190 · 2024 | 21.8% of land#49 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressCroatia: 1.5× the water stress | 1.5%#154 of 176 · 2022 | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCroatia: 1.67× the rain and snow | 1,113 mm#84 of 180 · 2022 | 667 mm#117 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLatvia: 0.13 higher | +0.68#58 of 193 · 2025 | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLatvia: 0.64 higher | +0.13#75 of 193 · 2025 | +0.77#43 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateLatvia: 3.57× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 2.5 per 100,000#68 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Zagreb | Riga |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Croatian | Latvian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +385 | +371 |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe | Northern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Croatia sits at about 45° N and is stretched to 2.01× its true area; Latvia at 57° N is stretched to 3.35×. That difference is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it is next to Croatia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Croatia bigger than Latvia?
- No. Croatia is 12% smaller than Latvia. Croatia covers 56,594 km² and Latvia covers 64,594 km².
- How many times does Croatia fit into Latvia?
- About 1.1 times: Latvia has 1.14× the area of Croatia.
- Why do Croatia and Latvia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Croatia is drawn about 2.01× its true area there and Latvia about 3.35×. That is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Croatia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Croatia or Latvia?
- Croatia: 3,876,200 people against 1,847,785. Density: Croatia 68 per km², Latvia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Croatia or Latvia?
- By gross national income per person, Croatia: $25,360 against $24,980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.02× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Croatia or Latvia?
- In Croatia: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 76.4 — 2.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Croatia and Latvia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).