Country Overview
Latvia is a Baltic state on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, classified by the United Nations in Northern Europe. Its modern republic was proclaimed on 18 November 1918. Following Soviet occupation and annexation during the Second World War, Latvia restored its independence in 1990–1991. Riga is the capital, and the country belongs to the European Union, NATO, euro area and Schengen area. [6]
Identity and State Formation
- Official and common names
- Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika); Latvia (Latvija)
- Capital
- Riga
- UN M49 classification
- Europe / Northern Europe [3]
- Independence first proclaimed
- 18 November 1918; proclamation of the Republic of Latvia
- Restoration of independence
- 4 May 1990 declaration of restoration; 21 August 1991 declaration of full de facto independence
- Constitution
- Satversme adopted in 1922; constitutional operation restored during the independence transition, with full effect by 1993
- National day
- 18 November (Proclamation Day)
- ISO 3166-1 identifiers
- LV (alpha-2), LVA (alpha-3), 428 (numeric)
- Country-code top-level domain
- .lv
Historical context: Latvian state formation followed centuries under Baltic German, Polish-Lithuanian, Swedish and Russian imperial rule. Independence was declared in 1918 and defended during the Latvian War of Independence. The republic was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, by Nazi Germany in 1941–1944/45 and again by the Soviet Union until the restoration of state independence in 1991. Latvia entered the European Union and NATO in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2014. [9]
Geography and Population
- Total geographical area
- 64,594 km² (EU/Eurostat, 2026 geographic reference) [6]
- Land area
- 62,230 km² (World Bank/FAO, 2024) [2]
- Population
- 1,847,785 (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Annual population growth
- −1.0% (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Neighbors
- Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, Lithuania to the south; Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga coast
- Physical geography
- Lowland plains, rolling uplands, forests, wetlands and many lakes; the Daugava and Gauja river systems
- Major urban centers
- Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Ventspils and Rēzekne
- Territorial divisions
- 43 local governments: 36 municipalities and 7 state cities with their own governments (EU country profile, 2026)
Data interpretation: World Bank population for 2025 differs in concept and reference date from Latvia’s official population on 1 January 2026 (approximately 1.845 million). The total geographic area includes inland waters; the 2024 land-area series excludes them. [1]
Economy and International Trade
- Economic structure
- Open European market economy with services, transport and logistics, manufacturing, forestry, food processing and digital activities
- Nominal GDP
- Approximately US$48.62 billion (World Bank, 2025 current dollars) [1]
- Nominal GDP per capita
- Approximately US$26,312 (World Bank, 2025 current dollars) [1]
- Real GDP growth
- 2.1% (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Currency
- Euro (EUR); adopted on 1 January 2014 [6]
- Merchandise exports
- EUR 19.54 billion in 2025 (Latvian Central Statistical Bureau, provisional)
- Key goods categories
- Wood and articles of wood (15.3% of merchandise exports); electrical machinery (10.2%); mineral fuels and mineral oils (8.5%), 2025
- Important export markets
- Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Sweden, Poland and the United Kingdom; exact rankings vary between all exports and Latvian-origin goods
Principal Merchandise Export Categories (2025)
| Category | Illustrative exported products |
|---|---|
| Wood products | Sawn timber, wood articles, fuelwood and engineered timber |
| Electrical machinery | Electrical equipment, parts and power-control assemblies |
| Mineral fuels and related products | Mineral oil products and refined fuels |
| Machinery and mechanical appliances | Machines, industrial components and equipment |
| Food, agricultural goods and beverages | Dairy products, cereals, beverages and processed food |
GDP is not wages: Nominal GDP is aggregate economic output; GDP per capita divides that output by population. Neither measure represents average or median personal earnings. [1]
People and Society
- Official language
- Latvian, a Baltic Indo-European language
- Other languages
- Russian and other minority languages are spoken; English is widely studied; Livonian and Latgalian have specific cultural or legal recognition
- Major religious traditions
- Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Old Believer, other Christian communities and nonreligious residents
- Religion measurement
- Religious-organization membership figures and opinion surveys are not a unified, exhaustive contemporary population census; no unsupported percentage is assigned
- Ethnic and linguistic diversity
- Latvians constitute the majority; Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish and other communities form part of the population
- Demographic context
- Population decline and aging, with the largest population concentration in Riga and its metropolitan region
Demographic interpretation: Religious traditions are described without an unverified share of all residents. National ethnicity, citizenship, mother tongue and religious affiliation are different statistical measures. [8]
Government and Institutions
- System
- Unitary parliamentary republic under the Satversme
- Head of state
- President, elected by the Saeima; constitutionally defined representative and other powers
- Head of government
- Prime Minister, heading the Cabinet of Ministers and dependent on parliamentary confidence
- Legislature
- Unicameral Saeima, 100 deputies elected for four-year terms
- Administrative divisions
- 36 municipalities (novadi) and 7 state cities with their own governments, per EU 2026 description
- Constitutional framework
- Satversme of 1922, restored and amended since 1990–1993
- Judiciary
- Ordinary courts and Constitutional Court (Satversmes tiesa)
International Profile
- United Nations
- Member since 17 September 1991 [5]
- European Union
- Member since 1 May 2004 [6]
- Euro area
- Member since 1 January 2014 [6]
- Schengen area
- Member since 21 December 2007 [6]
- NATO
- Member since 29 March 2004
- Other organizations
- OECD, WTO, Council of Europe, OSCE and regional Baltic cooperation
- UNESCO World Heritage
- 3 inscribed properties: Historic Centre of Riga; Struve Geodetic Arc (transnational); Old Town of Kuldīga [4]
- International dialing code
- +371
- Time zone
- Eastern European Time UTC+2; summer UTC+3
Sources and Verification
Editorial cutoff: November 6, 2026. Most headline population and economic indicators are World Bank 2025 data. Separate national releases and census figures have different statistical coverage and dates; figures may be updated retrospectively.
- World Bank, World Development Indicators: country profile — Latest available annual population, GDP, per-capita GDP and real-growth series, with their individual reference years.
- World Bank/FAO, land area indicator (2024) — Land area in square kilometers, excluding inland water.
- United Nations Statistics Division, UN M49 — United Nations geographic subregion.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Heritage Convention State Parties — World Heritage inscriptions and Convention State Party status.
- United Nations, Member States — United Nations membership.
- European Union, Latvia country profile — 2026 area and local government, EU, euro and Schengen status.
- Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Foreign trade of Latvia in 2025 — 2025 merchandise exports, commodity shares and markets.
- Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Population at beginning of 2026 — National population comparison and demographic structure.
- Republic of Latvia Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Latvian state and institutional background.
- Saeima, Parliament of the Republic of Latvia — Parliamentary and constitutional system.
- UNESCO, Latvia World Heritage State Party — Three inscribed World Heritage properties.
- NATO, member countries — Latvia accession to NATO in 2004.
Methodology: Population is the World Bank 2025 country series; GDP and GDP per capita are in current U.S. dollars and real GDP growth is a volume change, not an exchange-rate change. Land area excludes inland waters under the FAO definition, whereas the country-specific total area can be a distinct national or regional surface measure. Export tables are illustrative merchandise categories, not services data or a harmonized ranking. Religious figures identify their census or survey reference year and denominator.