Athens or Riga: which is better?
World city: head-to-head comparison
Riga wins on more indicators: 1 of 1 against 0.
- Climate and risks: Riga 0:1
All indicators weigh the same. This is a score based on data, not advice on where to live: different people have different circumstances.
Athens
Indicator
Riga
Population
no winnerCity population
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
664,046 people
GeoNames snapshot (all-the-cities 3.1.0 package, 2022), exact date not stated
742,572 people
GeoNames snapshot (all-the-cities 3.1.0 package, 2022), exact date not stated
Urban centre population
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
3,166,757 people
2025
516,897 people
2025
Urban centre area
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
412 km²
2025
147 km²
2025
Urban centre density
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
7,686 people per km²
2025
3,516 people per km²
2025
Urban centre population growth, 2015–2025
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
-4.6 %
2015–2025
-8.8 %
2015–2025
Climate and risks
Better: Riga (0 : 1)Daylight on December 21
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
9.5 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
6.7 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
Daylight on June 21
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
14.8 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
17.9 hours
December 21 and June 21 (does not depend on the year)
Distance to the sea
neutral indicator: higher does not mean better
7 km
2006-2025
12 km
2006-2025
Earthquakes M4.5+ within 100 km
lower is better
✗2.10 per year
2006-2025
✓0.00 per year
2006-2025
Strongest earthquake in the period
no data for one of the places
5.6 magnitude
2006-2025
no data
A winner is named only for indicators with a known “better / worse” direction. Population and other neutral indicators are shown without a winner. Outdated and missing values are not counted. Details for each place: Athens, Riga.