EUR
…
RUB
…
Land Area
Russia
17,098,246 km²
Largest
Latvia
64,589 km²
0.4% of largest
Russia is 264.72× larger than Latvia
Population
Russia
LARGEST
143.51M
PEOPLE
Latvia
1.3% OF LARGEST
1.85M
PEOPLE
Russia has 77.67× the population of Latvia
GDP
Russia
LARGEST
$2.56T
Latvia
1.9% OF LARGEST
$48.62B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
Russia
LARGEST
900K
TROOPS
Latvia
0.7% OF LARGEST
6.5K
TROOPS
Russia has 138.46× the active personnel of Latvia
Air Force
Russia
LARGEST
4.17K
AIRCRAFT
Latvia
0.1% OF LARGEST
6
AIRCRAFT
Russia has 695.50× the aircraft of Latvia
Naval Assets
Russia
Latvia
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Russia
LARGEST
2,332.8
Metric Tonnes
Latvia
0.3% OF LARGEST
6.7
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Russia
LARGEST
$413B
Reserves · excl. gold
Latvia
1.1% OF LARGEST
$4B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Russia
MOST
120
billionaires
Latvia
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
Russia
LARGEST
80
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Russia
NET EXPORTER
Production
10.8M b/d
Consumption
3.7M b/d
+7.1M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Latvia
$28.5B
Exports
$28.5B
Imports
$29.2B
Trade Balance
$-0.7B
Trade Deficit
Russia
$476.4B
Exports
$476.4B
Imports
$382.4B
Trade Balance
+$94.0B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Latvia
supply
Russia
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Russia
consumption
Latvia
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
Latvia
consumption
Russia
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Latvia
supply
Russia
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Latvia
consumption
Russia
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Latvia
Russia
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Russia
192
Gold
164
Silver
184
Bronze
540
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 422
❄ Winter: 118
Latvia
5
Gold
15
Silver
13
Bronze
33
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 21
❄ Winter: 12
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Latvia
Russia
Age Demographics
Median Age
Latvia
44.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Russia
39.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Latvia is 5.0 years older (median) than Russia
Youth Population
Russia has the highest youth population at 36% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Latvia has the highest elderly population at 25.4% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Latvia
|
Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
119
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
24.4M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
32
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
3
|
32
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Latvia
|
Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $10 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $35 | $35 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $450 | $600 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $300 | $400 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $150 | $85 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $15 | $12 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $45 | $25 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Latvia
Russia
Physicians per 1,000
Russia
Latvia
Hospital beds per 1,000
Russia
Latvia
Diabetes prevalence
Latvia
Russia
Obesity prevalence
Latvia
Russia
Suicide rate per 100k
Russia
Latvia
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Latvia vs Russia — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Latvia | Russia |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1847785 | 143513328 |
| Area (sq km) | 64589 | 17098246 |
| Capital | Riga | Moscow |
| Official Language | Latvian | Russian |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Russian Ruble (RUB) |
| Government Type | Parliamentary republic | Federal semi-presidential republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Latvia | Russia |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 6,500 | 900,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 8,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 14,500 | 3,350,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $944,000,000 | $154,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 0 | 12,420 |
| Armored Vehicles | 123 | 30,122 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 0 | 6,574 |
| Towed Artillery | 8 | 7,571 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 3,391 |
Economy
| Metric | Latvia | Russia |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $48,618,869,160 | $2,561,310,169,359 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $26,312 | $17,847 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.6% | 2.1% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 34.0 | 33.0 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Russian Ruble (RUB) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Russia is 264.7 times larger in area than Latvia.
That's a massive difference!
Russia has 77.7 times more people than Latvia.
Latvia has the highest GDP per capita at $26,312 among the selected countries.
Russia has the largest economy with a GDP of
$2.56 trillion.
Russia has the largest active military personnel with 900,000 troops.
Russia has the largest air force with 4,173 aircraft.
Russia has the largest navy with 605 vessels.
Russia Fact: Russia spans 11 time zones, more than any other country in the world.
Latvia vs Russia: Key Comparisons
Economy: Russia's GDP of $2.6T is 52.7x larger than Latvia's $49B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: Russia's population of 144M is 77.7x larger than Latvia's 2M.
Area: Russia covers 17,098,246 km², making it 264.7x larger than Latvia.
Military: Russia fields 900Thousand active troops vs Latvia's 6.5Thousand.
Trade: Latvia has a trade deficit of $1B while Russia runs a trade surplus of $94B.
Life Expectancy: Latvia leads with a life expectancy of 76 years vs Russia's 73.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology