Latvia vs Lithuania
Lithuania and Latvia are almost exactly the same size.
LatviaLithuaniaLatvia moved onto Lithuania · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Latvia is 0.99× the area of Lithuania. Put the other way, Lithuania is 1.01× the size of Latvia.
 Latvia |  Lithuania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 64,594 km²#122 of 194 | 65,300 km²#121 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationLithuania: 1.56× the population | 1,847,785#148 of 194 · 2025 | 2,888,774#137 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLithuania: 1.55× the density | 29 / km²#155 of 194 | 44 / km²#140 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 69%#80 of 192 · 2025 | 69%#79 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLatvia: 1.12× the births per woman | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 | 1.11 per woman#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLithuania: 1.01 points higher | −0.99%#189 of 192 · 2025 | +0.02%#155 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLatvia: 1.05× the birth rate | 6.9 per 1,000#181 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLatvia: 1.1× the death rate | 14.3 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 | 13.0 per 1,000#12 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Latvia: 0.7 points higher | 15.2%#160 of 192 · 2025 | 14.5%#167 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Latvia: 1.5 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 20.7%#27 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLatvia: 4.5 per 1,000 higher | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 | −8.5 per 1,000#178 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLatvia: 3.33× the refugees for its size | 0.10 per 1,000#118 of 190 · 2025 | 0.03 per 1,000#138 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyLithuania: 0.8 years longer | 76.4 years#74 of 192 · 2024 | 77.2 years#66 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLithuania: 1.27× the infant mortality | 2.2 per 1,000 births#177 of 191 · 2024 | 2.8 per 1,000 births#168 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsLithuania: 1.31× the doctors per person | 3.40 per 1,000#49 of 178 · 2022 | 4.47 per 1,000#19 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentLatvia: 1.1× the university enrolment | 82.9%#19 of 145 · 2024 | 75.6%#38 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexLithuania: 0.006 higher | 0.889#40 of 190 · 2023 | 0.895#38 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLithuania: 1.22× the income per person | $24,980#47 of 185 · 2025 | $30,500#38 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPLithuania: 1.96× the economy | $48.62B2025 | $95.21B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Lithuania: 1.23× the output per person | $46,137#47 of 184 · 2025 | $56,838#36 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLithuania: 0.8 points higher | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | +2.9%#104 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLithuania: 0.1 points higher | +3.7%#68 of 176 · 2025 | +3.8%#65 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 6.6%#63 of 178 · 2025 | 6.7%#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLithuania: 2.75× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lithuania: 2.0 higher | 34.0#79 of 149 · 2023 | 36.0#63 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLatvia: 2.0 points higher | 6.7% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLithuania: 4.1 points higher | 21.8% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 | 25.9% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLatvia: 2.1 points higher | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 | 69.4% of jobs#54 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLithuania: 2.4 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 3.2% of GDP#61 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLithuania: 10.4 points higher | 62.6% of GDP#32 of 168 · 2025 | 73.0% of GDP#19 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLatvia: 1.17× the military spending | 3.6% of GDP#16 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#30 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLatvia: 1.04× the share online | 93%#40 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#61 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLithuania: 1.15× the mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 139 per 100#40 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLatvia: 1.57× the forest share | 56% of land#38 of 192 · 2024 | 35% of land#83 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLithuania: 1.23× the CO₂ per person | 3.65 t a year#70 of 185 · 2024 | 4.49 t a year#53 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLatvia: 10.8 points higher | 44.0%#55 of 190 · 2021 | 33.2%#75 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Latvia: 1.21× the air pollution | 13.0 µg/m³#134 of 191 · 2023 | 10.7 µg/m³#150 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLatvia: 0.8 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 18.0% of land#93 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLithuania: 14.9 points higher | 21.8% of land#49 of 190 · 2024 | 36.7% of land#15 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLithuania: 2.2× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 667 mm#117 of 180 · 2022 | 656 mm#120 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLithuania: 0.12 higher | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 | +0.93#40 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLithuania: 0.25 higher | +0.77#43 of 193 · 2025 | +1.02#33 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateLithuania: 1.04× the homicide rate | 2.5 per 100,000#68 of 146 · 2023 | 2.6 per 100,000#64 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Riga | Vilnius |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Latvian | Lithuanian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +371 | +370 |
| 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. Latvia sits at about 57° N and is stretched to 3.35× its true area; Lithuania at 55° N is stretched to 3.09×. 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 Latvia bigger than Lithuania?
- No. Latvia and Lithuania are almost exactly the same size. Latvia covers 64,594 km² and Lithuania covers 65,300 km².
- How many times does Latvia fit into Lithuania?
- About 1.0 times: Lithuania has 1.01× the area of Latvia.
- Why do Latvia and Lithuania look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Latvia is drawn about 3.35× its true area there and Lithuania about 3.09×. 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, Latvia or Lithuania?
- Lithuania: 2,888,774 people against 1,847,785. Density: Latvia 29 per km², Lithuania 44 per km².
- Which is richer, Latvia or Lithuania?
- By gross national income per person, Lithuania: $30,500 against $24,980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Latvia or Lithuania?
- In Lithuania: life expectancy at birth is 77.2 years, against 76.4 — 0.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Latvia and Lithuania have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Latvia: parliamentary republic; Lithuania: semi-presidential republic.