Latvia is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Riga.
Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Riga; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapLatvia is a lowland Baltic country with gently rolling hills, forests, lakes and wetlands. Glaciers shaped much of its modest relief. A long coast includes sandy beaches, dunes and sheltered waters around the Gulf of Riga.
The Gauja valley contains river bends and sandstone exposures within wooded country. Ķemeri’s bogs offer a different landscape of open peatland and pools. These wet environments are interspersed with farmland and settlements.
The Baltic Sea moderates coastal weather, while inland areas are more continental. Winters are cold and summers are generally mild to warm.
Peatlands retain water and support specialized plants. Forests and rivers provide other important habitats. Cold winters and spring thaw create seasonal changes in water levels, while summer vegetation can conceal the wetness of low ground.
Three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
Wooded slopes surround the river near Sigulda.
Photo: Laima Gūtmane (simka… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Pools and low vegetation form a characteristic wetland landscape.
Photo: GRID-Arendal · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Latvian is the state language. Russian is widely spoken by a substantial part of the population, but it does not have national official-language status.
Latgalian is an important regional written and spoken tradition, and Livonian is an indigenous language with revitalization efforts. Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other community languages are also present.
Latvia declared independence in 1918 and fought a war to secure it. Soviet occupation in 1940 was followed by Nazi occupation and renewed Soviet rule. The restoration of independence was completed in 1991.
Services, logistics, manufacturing and forestry are important. Wood products, food processing and transport services contribute to trade. Latvia is an EU member and uses the euro.
processed foods, processed wood products, textiles, processed metals, pharmaceuticals, railroad cars, synthetic fibers, electronics
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,359,164 | 2.359 |
| 1980 | 2,511,701 | 2.512 |
| 1990 | 2,663,151 | 2.663 |
| 2000 | 2,367,550 | 2.368 |
| 2010 | 2,097,555 | 2.098 |
| 2020 | 1,900,449 | 1.900 |
| 2025 | 1,847,785 | 1.848 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20,300,397,396 | 20.300 |
| 1991 | 17,743,517,231 | 17.744 |
| 1992 | 12,044,553,173 | 12.045 |
| 1993 | 11,444,375,654 | 11.444 |
| 1994 | 11,694,997,019 | 11.695 |
| 1995 | 11,584,507,030 | 11.585 |
| 1996 | 11,850,946,178 | 11.851 |
| 1997 | 12,937,852,903 | 12.938 |
| 1998 | 13,785,282,610 | 13.785 |
| 1999 | 14,173,807,644 | 14.174 |
| 2000 | 15,001,703,494 | 15.002 |
| 2001 | 15,970,900,289 | 15.971 |
| 2002 | 17,195,147,700 | 17.195 |
| 2003 | 18,644,549,496 | 18.645 |
| 2004 | 20,271,313,179 | 20.271 |
| 2005 | 22,625,890,638 | 22.626 |
| 2006 | 25,527,665,150 | 25.528 |
| 2007 | 28,186,253,354 | 28.186 |
| 2008 | 27,231,101,091 | 27.231 |
| 2009 | 22,863,227,157 | 22.863 |
| 2010 | 22,026,145,288 | 22.026 |
| 2011 | 22,694,935,011 | 22.695 |
| 2012 | 24,352,854,611 | 24.353 |
| 2013 | 24,863,312,430 | 24.863 |
| 2014 | 25,384,188,823 | 25.384 |
| 2015 | 26,344,565,877 | 26.345 |
| 2016 | 27,016,796,481 | 27.017 |
| 2017 | 27,935,083,541 | 27.935 |
| 2018 | 29,139,005,430 | 29.139 |
| 2019 | 29,335,802,339 | 29.336 |
| 2020 | 28,318,076,614 | 28.318 |
| 2021 | 30,284,070,900 | 30.284 |
| 2022 | 30,862,052,748 | 30.862 |
| 2023 | 30,571,453,786 | 30.571 |
| 2024 | 30,560,125,331 | 30.560 |
| 2025 | 31,213,460,641 | 31.213 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Parliamentary republic. Parliament (Saeima) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Three questions about Latvia.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
