Map of Latvia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Several eastern Baltic tribes merged in medieval times to form the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 26% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the euro zone in 2014 and the OECD in 2016. A dual citizenship law was adopted in 2013, easing naturalization for non-citizen children.


top of page


Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania

Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 64,589 km²
Land: 62,249 km²
Water: 2,340 km²
Rank: 124
Comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 1370 km
Border countries: (4) Belarus 161 km; , Estonia 333 km; , Lithuania 544 km; , Russia 332 km

Coastline: 498 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain: low plain

Elevation
Mean elevation: 87 m
Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
Highest point: Gaizina Kalns 312 m

Natural resources: peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 29.2% (2011 est.)
Forest: 54.1% (2011 est.)
Other: 16.7% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 12 km² (2012)
Note: land in Latvia is often too wet and in need of drainage not irrigation; approximately 16,000 km² or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: large percentage of agricultural fields can become waterlogged and require drainage

Geography
Note: most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east


top of page


Population
Distribution: largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country: 1,881,232 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 153
Growth rate: -1.12% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 230
Below poverty line: 25.5% (2015)

Nationality
Noun: Latvian(s)
Adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups: Latvian 62.2%, Russian 25.2%, Belarusian 3.2%, Ukrainian 2.2%, Polish 2.1%, Lithuanian 1.2%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.3% (2018 est.)

Languages: Latvian (official) 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, other 0.6% (includes Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian), unspecified 9.4% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent language usually spoken at home

Religions: Lutheran 36.2%, Roman Catholic 19.5%, Orthodox 19.1%, other Christian 1.6%, other 0.1%, unspecified/none 23.5% (2017 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.32% (male 148,120/female 140,028)
15-24 years: 9% (male 87,372/female 81,965)
25-54 years: 40.41% (male 380,817/female 379,359)
55-64 years: 14.77% (male 125,401/female 152,548)
65 years and over: 20.5% (male 128,151/female 257,471) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 59
Youth dependency ratio: 26.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 32.9
Potential support ratio: 3 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 44.4 years
Male: 40.5 years
Female: 48 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 16

Population growth rate: -1.12% (2020 est.)
Rank: 230

Birth rate: 9.2 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 203

Death rate: 14.6 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 4

Net migration rate: -5.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 201

Population distribution: largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country

Urbanization
Urban population: 68.3% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: -0.93% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 631,000 RIGA (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: while land, water, and air pollution are evident, Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; improvements have occurred in drinking water quality, sewage treatment, household and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; concerns include nature protection and the management of water resources and the protection of the Baltic Sea
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 27.6 years (2017 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 5.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.6 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 176

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.4 years
Male: 70.9 years
Female: 80.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 116

Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 197

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.2% of population
Rural: 1.8% of population
Total: 1.4% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6% (2017)

Physicians density: 3.19 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 5.6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 1.1% of population
Rural: 15.4% of population
Total: 5.7% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 91
People living with hivaids: 5,600 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 122
Deaths note: <100 (2019 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.6% (2016)
Rank: 65

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 82

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.9%
Male: 99.9%
Female: 99.9% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years (2018)

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
Conventional short form: Latvia
Local long form: Latvijas Republika
Local short form: Latvija
Former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the name Latvia originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.)

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Riga
Geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October: etymology: of the several theories explaining the name's origin, the one relating to the city's role in Baltic and North Sea commerce is the most probable; the name is likely related to the Latvian word 'rija,' meaning 'warehouse,' where the 'j' became a 'g' under the heavy German influence in the city from the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century

Administrative divisions: 110 municipalities (novadi, singular - novads) and 9 cities

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 4 May 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day (Republic of Latvia Proclamation Day), 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia established its statehood and its concomitant independence from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 was the date it declared the restoration of Latvian statehood and its concomitant independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution
History: several previous (pre-1991 independence); note - following the restoration of independence in 1991, parts of the 1922 constitution were reintroduced 4 May 1990 and fully reintroduced 6 July 1993
Amendments: proposed by two thirds of Parliament members or by petition of one tenth of qualified voters submitted through the president; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of three readings; amendment of constitutional articles, including national sovereignty, language, the parliamentary electoral system, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires passage in a referendum by majority vote of at least one half of the electorate; amended several times, last in 2019

Legal system: civil law system with traces of socialist legal traditions and practices

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Latvia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Egils LEVITS (since 8 July 2019)
Head of government: Prime Minister Krisjanis KARINS (since 23 January 2019)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by Parliament
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 May 2019 (next to be held in 2023); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by Parliament
Election results: Egils LEVITS elected president; Parliament vote - Egils LEVITS 61 votes, Didzis SMITS 24, Juris JANSONS 8; Krisjanis KARINS confirmed prime minister 61-39

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 6 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022)
Election results: percent of vote by party - SDPS 19.8%, KPV LV 14.3%, JKP 13.6%, AP! 12%, NA 11%, ZZS 9.9%, V 6.7%, other 12.7%; seats by party - SDPS 23, KPV LV 16, JKP 16, AP! 13, NA 13, ZZS 11, V 8; composition - men 69, women 31, percent of women 31%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the Senate with 36 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by chief justice and confirmed by the Saeima; judges serve until age 70, but term can be extended 2 years; Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by Saeima members, 2 by Cabinet ministers, and 2 by plenum of Supreme Court; all judges confirmed by Saeima majority vote; Constitutional Court president and vice president serve in their positions for 3 years; all judges serve 10-year terms; mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: district (city) and regional courts

Political parties and leaders: Development/For! or AP! [Daniels PAVLUTS, Juris PUCE]National Alliance 'All For Latvia!'-'For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK' or NA [Raivis DZINTARS] New Conservative Party or JKP [Janis BORDANS]Social Democratic Party 'Harmony' or SDPS [Nils USAKOVS] Union of Greens and Farmers or ZZS [Armands KRAUZE] Unity or V [Arvils ASERADENS]Who Owns the State? or KPV LV [Artuss KAIMINS]

International organization participation: Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Andris TEIKMANIS (since 16 September 2016)
In the us chancery: 2,306 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 328-2,840
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-2,860
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John Leslie CARWILE (since 5 November 2019)
From the us telephone: [371] 6,710-7,000
From the us embassy: 1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga LV-1510
From the us mailing address: Embassy of the United States of America, 1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga, LV-1510
From the us FAX: [371] 6,710-7,050

Flag description: three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon; the flag is one of the older banners in the world; a medieval chronicle mentions a red standard with a white stripe being used by Latvian tribes in about 1280

National symbols: white wagtail (bird); national colors: maroon, white

National anthem
Name: Dievs, sveti Latviju! (God Bless Latvia)
Lyricsmusic: Karlis BAUMANIS
Note: adopted 1920, restored 1990; first performed in 1873 while Latvia was a part of Russia; banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 133

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 86

Gross national saving:
Rank: 91

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 61.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 19.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 60.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -61.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 22.4% (2017 est.)
Services: 73.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: grain, rapeseed, potatoes, vegetables; pork, poultry, milk, eggs; fish

Industries: processed foods, processed wood products, textiles, processed metals, pharmaceuticals, railroad cars, synthetic fibers, electronics

Industrial production growth rate: 10.6% (2017 est.)
Rank: 12

Labor force: 885,000 (2020 est.)
Rank: 142
By occupation agriculture: 7.7%
By occupation industry: 24.1%
By occupation services: 68.1% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 100

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 25.5% (2015)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.2%
Highest 10: 26.3% (2015)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 11.39 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 11.53 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 62

Taxes and other revenues: 37.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 54

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities, including sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government, and social security funds
Rank: 147

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 143

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 102

Exports:
Rank: 79
Partners: Lithuania 15.8%, Russia 14%, Estonia 10.9%, Germany 6.9%, Sweden 5.7%, UK 4.9%, Poland 4.3%, Denmark 4.1% (2017)
Commodities: foodstuffs, wood and wood products, metals, machinery and equipment, textiles

Imports:
Rank: 78
Commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, fuels, vehicles
Partners: Lithuania 17.6%, Germany 11.7%, Poland 8.7%, Estonia 7.6%, Russia 7.1%, Netherlands 4.2%, Finland 4.2%, Italy 4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 97

Debt external:
Rank: 74

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 6.241 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 115
Consumption: 6.798 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 109
Exports: 3.795 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 38
Imports: 4.828 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 39
Installed generating capacity: 2.932 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 98
Generation sources fossil fuels: 39% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 172
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 125
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 53% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 33
Generation sources other renewable sources: 8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 87

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 160
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 152
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 150
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 155

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 163
Products consumption: 44,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 111
Products exports: 16,180 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 72
Products imports: 54,370 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 77

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 155
Consumption: 1.218 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 88
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 136
Imports: 1.246 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 58
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 156

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 8.632 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 114

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 227,149
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11.94 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 120
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,067,174
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108.66 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 151

Telephone system

Broadcast media: several national and regional commercial TV stations are foreign-owned, 2 national TV stations are publicly owned; system supplemented by privately owned regional and local TV stations; cable and satellite multi-channel TV services with domestic and foreign broadcasts available; publicly owned broadcaster operates 4 radio networks with dozens of stations throughout the country; dozens of private broadcasters also operate radio stations

Internet
Country code: .lv
Users total: 1,607,711
Users percent of population: 83.58% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 129

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 525,995
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27 (2018 est.)
Rank: 83


top of page


Military expenditures:
Rank: 49

Military and security forces: National Armed Forces (Nacionalie Brunotie Speki): Land Forces (Latvijas Sauszemes Speki), Naval Force (Latvijas Juras Speki, includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flote)), Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), National Guard (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 53
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,058,762 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4.01 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YL (2016)

Airports: 42 (2013)
Rank: 101
With paved runways total: 18 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 24 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 24 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 1,213 km gas, 417 km refined products (2018)

Railways
Total: 1860 km (2018)
Narrow gauge: 34 km
Note: 1.520-m gauge (2018)
Broad gauge: 1826 km
Rank: 75

Roadways
Total: 70,244 km (2018)
Paved: 15,158 km (2018)
Unpaved: 55,086 km (2018)
Rank: 70

Waterways: 300 km
Note: (navigable year-round) (2010)
Rank: 92

Merchant marine
Total: 58
By type: general cargo 11, oil tanker 8, other 39 (2019)
Rank: 110

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Riga, Ventspils


top of page


Disputes international: Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules with Russia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 216,851 (2019); note - individuals who were Latvian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants were recognized as Latvian citizens when the countrys independence was restored in 1991; citizens of the former Soviet Union residing in Latvia who have neither Latvian nor other citizenship are considered non-citizens (officially there is no statelessness in Latvia) and are entitled to non-citizen passports; children born after Latvian independence to stateless parents are entitled to Latvian citizenship upon their parents request; non-citizens cannot vote or hold certain government jobs and are exempt from military service but can travel visa-free in the EU under the Schengen accord like Latvian citizens; non-citizens can obtain naturalization if they have been permanent residents of Latvia for at least five years, pass tests in Latvian language and history, and know the words of the Latvian national anthem

Illicit drugs: transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, and neighboring Baltic countries; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds