Latvia
Country in Europe
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 1.8M (2025). World rank 150 of 216; in Europe, 33 of 48. Area: 64,559 km². World rank 126 of 249; in Europe, 24 of 52. GDP per person: $26,312 (2025). World rank 63 of 210 (1 = best); in Europe, 34 of 47. From 2015 to 2025: population 2M → 1.8M, GDP $26.3B → $48.6B, and GDP per person $13,322 → $26,312.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Latvia
- Local name
- Latvija
- Capital
- Riga
- Region
- Europe
- Form of government
- Parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Edgars Rinkēvičs
- Head of government
- Andris Kulbergs
- Independence
- November 18, 1918
- Women in parliament
- 31% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 1,847,785 2025
- Area
- 64,559 km²
- GDP
- $48.6B 2025
- GDP per person
- $26,312 2025
- Life expectancy
- 76.4 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Latvian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Time zones
- UTC+3
- Calling code
- +371
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 112, 113
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, F
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 498
- Neighbours
- Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia
- Agricultural land
- 31.7% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Gaiziņkalns, 312 m
- Lowest point
- Baltic Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 87
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 6
- Warmest month in the capital
- July, 18°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- February, -5°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 667 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 28.6 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- -1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 68.6% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -7.3K 2025
- Born in another country
- 11.8% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 15.2% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 62.6% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 22.2% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 81.5 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 71.6 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.2 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 6.9 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 14.3 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 36.2%, Catholic 19.5%, Orthodox 19.1%, and other Christian 1.6% (2017)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 76.3 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 63.6 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 69.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 73.1 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 78.3 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $46,137 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +2.1% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- High income
- Gross national income per person
- $24,980 2025
- Inflation
- +3.8% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 57 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 18.7% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 64.3% 2025
- Unemployment
- 6.6% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 13% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 55.3% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 62.6% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 67.2% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -5.3% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +0.8% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 3% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 17.7% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 34 2023
- Living on under $3 a day
- 0.4% 2023
Education
- Adult literacy
- 99.9% 2011
- Primary school enrolment
- 97.6% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 101% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 82.9% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 4.3% 2022
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 7.3% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $1,645 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 35.1% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 3.4 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 4.4 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 5 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 98% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 2.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 2.5 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 19 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.5% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 7.1% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 59.3% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 34.6% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 98.8% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 92.5% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 92% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 2.5 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 8.1 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 15.2 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 79.8 2025
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 13 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 3.7 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 6.2 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 55.6% 2024
- Protected areas
- 18.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 9,014 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 1% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 92.7% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 121 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 25.8 2024
- Internet domain
- .lv
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 4,038 2025
- Renewable share of energy use
- 44% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 63.6% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 25.6% 2025
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 4,475,904 2023
- Airports
- 55 2025
- Railways, km
- 2,216 2020
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.8% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 2,191 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 1,736 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 84 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 17.5% 2024