Ireland vs Latvia
Ireland is 8% larger than Latvia.
IrelandLatviaIreland moved onto Latvia · Equal-area projection
1.08×
Ireland is 1.08× the area of Latvia.
 Ireland |  Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIreland: 1.08× the area | 69,797 km²#118 of 194 | 64,594 km²#122 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIreland: 2.97× the population | 5,484,367#121 of 194 · 2025 | 1,847,785#148 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIreland: 2.75× the density | 79 / km²#106 of 194 | 29 / km²#155 of 194 |
| Urban populationLatvia: 1.06× the urban share | 65%#90 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#80 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIreland: 1.19× the births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIreland: 2.62 points higher | +1.63%#62 of 192 · 2025 | −0.99%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIreland: 1.45× the birth rate | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 | 6.9 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLatvia: 2.2× the death rate | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 14.3 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Ireland: 2.9 points higher | 18.1%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 15.2%#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Latvia: 6.0 points higher | 16.2%#50 of 192 · 2025 | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIreland: 10.5 per 1,000 higher | +6.5 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2025 | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLatvia: 10× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.10 per 1,000#118 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIreland: 6.6 years longer | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 | 76.4 years#74 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIreland: 1.55× the infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 2.2 per 1,000 births#177 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIreland: 1.14× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2023 | 3.40 per 1,000#49 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentLatvia: 1.07× the university enrolment | 77.6%#30 of 145 · 2022 | 82.9%#19 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIreland: 0.060 higher | 0.949#10 of 190 · 2023 | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIreland: 3.5× the income per person | $87,360#6 of 185 · 2025 | $24,980#47 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIreland: 14.8× the economy | $721.7B2025 | $48.62B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ireland: 3.36× the output per person | $155,089#3 of 184 · 2025 | $46,137#47 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIreland: 10.2 points higher | +12.3%#3 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLatvia: 1.5 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLatvia: 1.43× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 6.6%#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLatvia: 4.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Latvia: 5.0 higher | 29.0#128 of 149 · 2023 | 34.0#79 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLatvia: 2.8 points higher | 3.9% of jobs#139 of 178 · 2025 | 6.7% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLatvia: 3.6 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 21.8% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIreland: 6.4 points higher | 77.9% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIreland: 9.6 points higher | 10.4% of GDP#16 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIreland: 77.5 points higher | 140.1% of GDP#4 of 168 · 2025 | 62.6% of GDP#32 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLatvia: 16.4× the military spending | 0.2% of GDP#150 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#16 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIreland: 1.05× the share online | 97%#16 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#40 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLatvia: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLatvia: 4.63× the forest share | 12% of land#145 of 192 · 2024 | 56% of land#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIreland: 1.65× the CO₂ per person | 6.04 t a year#38 of 185 · 2024 | 3.65 t a year#70 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLatvia: 31.3 points higher | 12.7%#128 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: 1.73× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 13.0 µg/m³#134 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLatvia: 4.6 points higher | 14.2% of land#121 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLatvia: 15.5 points higher | 6.3% of land#120 of 190 · 2024 | 21.8% of land#49 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIreland: 8.1× the water stress | 8.1%#97 of 176 · 2022 | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIreland: 1.68× the rain and snow | 1,118 mm#83 of 180 · 2022 | 667 mm#117 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLatvia: 0.06 higher | +0.75#53 of 193 · 2025 | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIreland: 0.74 higher | +1.51#18 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, Euro area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Dublin | Riga |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | English, Irish | Latvian |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC, summer time UTC+1 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +353 | +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. Ireland sits at about 53° N and is stretched to 2.78× 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 Ireland. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Ireland bigger than Latvia?
- Yes. Ireland is 8% larger than Latvia. Ireland covers 69,797 km² and Latvia covers 64,594 km².
- How many times does Latvia fit into Ireland?
- About 1.1 times: Ireland has 1.08× the area of Latvia.
- Why do Ireland and Latvia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ireland is drawn about 2.78× its true area there and Latvia about 3.35×. That is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Ireland. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Ireland or Latvia?
- Ireland: 5,484,367 people against 1,847,785. Density: Ireland 79 per km², Latvia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Ireland or Latvia?
- By gross national income per person, Ireland: $87,360 against $24,980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.5× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ireland or Latvia?
- In Ireland: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 76.4 — 6.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ireland and Latvia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).