Estonia vs Latvia
Latvia is 42% larger than Estonia.
EstoniaLatviaEstonia moved onto Latvia · Equal-area projection
0.7×
Estonia is 0.7× the area of Latvia. Put the other way, Latvia is 1.42× the size of Estonia.
 Estonia |  Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLatvia: 1.42× the area | 45,335 km²#129 of 194 | 64,594 km²#122 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationLatvia: 1.35× the population | 1,366,475#154 of 194 · 2025 | 1,847,785#148 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityEstonia: 1.05× the density | 30 / km²#151 of 194 | 29 / km²#155 of 194 |
| Urban populationEstonia: 1.03× the urban share | 71%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#80 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLatvia: 1.05× the births per woman | 1.18 per woman#179 of 192 · 2024 | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthEstonia: 0.56 points higher | −0.43%#178 of 192 · 2025 | −0.99%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 7.1 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 | 6.9 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLatvia: 1.24× the death rate | 11.5 per 1,000#21 of 192 · 2024 | 14.3 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Estonia: 0.1 points higher | 15.3%#159 of 192 · 2025 | 15.2%#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Latvia: 0.4 points higher | 21.8%#16 of 192 · 2025 | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLatvia: 5.8 per 1,000 higher | −9.8 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2025 | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLatvia: 1.67× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 0.10 per 1,000#118 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyEstonia: 2.9 years longer | 79.3 years#44 of 192 · 2024 | 76.4 years#74 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLatvia: 1.47× the infant mortality | 1.5 per 1,000 births#190 of 191 · 2024 | 2.2 per 1,000 births#177 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 3.47 per 1,000#46 of 178 · 2022 | 3.40 per 1,000#49 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentLatvia: 1.26× the university enrolment | 65.7%#52 of 145 · 2024 | 82.9%#19 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexEstonia: 0.016 higher | 0.905#35 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaEstonia: 1.29× the income per person | $32,310#37 of 185 · 2025 | $24,980#47 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPLatvia: 1.03× the economy | $47.03B2025 | $48.62B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Estonia: 1.13× the output per person | $52,106#41 of 184 · 2025 | $46,137#47 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLatvia: 1.5 points higher | +0.6%#164 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationEstonia: 1.1 points higher | +4.8%#43 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentEstonia: 1.26× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 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: 3.3 higher | 30.7#112 of 149 · 2023 | 34.0#79 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLatvia: 3.7 points higher | 3.0% of jobs#147 of 178 · 2025 | 6.7% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryEstonia: 4.2 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 21.8% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLatvia: 0.5 points higher | 71.0% of jobs#50 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLatvia: 3.0 points higher | -2.2% of GDP#176 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsEstonia: 15.8 points higher | 78.4% of GDP#15 of 168 · 2025 | 62.6% of GDP#32 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLatvia: 1.07× the military spending | 3.4% of GDP#20 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#16 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 92%#42 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#40 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsEstonia: 1.25× the mobile subscriptions | 151 per 100#27 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 57% of land#35 of 192 · 2024 | 56% of land#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personEstonia: 2.13× the CO₂ per person | 7.76 t a year#26 of 185 · 2024 | 3.65 t a year#70 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLatvia: 6.0 points higher | 38.0%#64 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)Latvia: 2.2× the air pollution | 5.9 µg/m³#179 of 191 · 2023 | 13.0 µg/m³#134 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landEstonia: 2.8 points higher | 21.6% of land#73 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLatvia: 5.3 points higher | 16.5% of land#65 of 190 · 2024 | 21.8% of land#49 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressEstonia: 13× the water stress | 13.0%#79 of 176 · 2022 | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLatvia: 1.07× the rain and snow | 626 mm#126 of 180 · 2022 | 667 mm#117 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityEstonia: 0.08 higher | +0.89#43 of 193 · 2025 | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionEstonia: 0.87 higher | +1.64#14 of 193 · 2025 | +0.77#43 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateLatvia: 1.67× the homicide rate | 1.5 per 100,000#86 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, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Tallinn | Riga |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Estonian | Latvian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +372 | +371 |
| Region | Northern 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. Estonia sits at about 59° N and is stretched to 3.7× its true area; Latvia at 57° N is stretched to 3.35×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Estonia bigger than Latvia?
- No. Estonia is 30% smaller than Latvia. Estonia covers 45,335 km² and Latvia covers 64,594 km².
- How many times does Estonia fit into Latvia?
- About 1.4 times: Latvia has 1.42× the area of Estonia.
- Why do Estonia and Latvia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Estonia is drawn about 3.7× its true area there and Latvia about 3.35×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Estonia or Latvia?
- Latvia: 1,847,785 people against 1,366,475. Density: Estonia 30 per km², Latvia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Estonia or Latvia?
- By gross national income per person, Estonia: $32,310 against $24,980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.29× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Estonia or Latvia?
- In Estonia: life expectancy at birth is 79.3 years, against 76.4 — 2.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Estonia and Latvia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).