Latvia: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

NATO soldiers train to become interchangeable on front lines • Nov. 4, 2026, 6:17 PM ET (CTV News)

CTV News in Latvia: Near Russia’s border, Canadian soldiers face both ‘insults’ and ‘open arms’ from locals • Nov. 4, 2026, 1:16 PM ET (CTV News)

NATO jets activated following airspace threat over Latvia • Nov. 2, 2026, 6:26 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Latvian Oscar Submission ‘Ulya’ Sells Wide Ahead of Opening Tallinn: ‘This Film Is a Blockbuster’ (EXCLUSIVE) • Oct. 28, 2026, 9:07 AM ET (Variety)

Possible drone explosion in northern Lithuania near Latvian border • Oct. 18, 2026, 4:14 AM ET (Euronews)

Facts

Also Known As	Latvija • Republic of Latvia • Latvijas Republika
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Evika Siliņa
Capital	Riga
Population	(2026 est.) 1,838,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 0.904 euro
Head Of State	President: Edgars Rinkēvičs
Form Of Government	unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (Parliament, or Saeima [100])
Official Language	Latvian
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Latvijas Republika (Republic of Latvia)
Total Area (Sq Km)	64,594
Total Area (Sq Mi)	24,940
Monetary Unit	euro (€)¹
Population Rank	(2026) 151
Population Projection 2030	1,658,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 73.7
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 28.5
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2023) 69.8% • Rural: (2023) 30.2%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2024) 71.3 years • Female: (2024) 81.1 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 40,360
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 21,630
¹The euro (€) replaced the lats (Ls) on January 1, 2014, at an exchange rate of €1 = Ls 0.70.

Photos

Map of Latvia with its national boundaries highlighted in red, showing major cities and towns throughout the country. Neighboring countries-Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania-are labeled, and the Baltic Sea borders Latvia to the northwest. An inset locator map in the upper right shows Latvia's position in Europe.

Latvian castle ruins

Map of Northern and Eastern Europe highlighting Latvia and its capital, Riga, with surrounding countries labeled, including Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Major bodies of water such as the Baltic Sea and the North Sea are also shown.

Physical map of Latvia highlighting major landforms such as uplands, lowlands, plains, and nature reserves, as well as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. The map shows Latvia bordered by Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania, with the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga to the west and northwest. An inset locator map in the upper right corner shows Latvia's position in northeastern Europe.

View of the medieval red brick Turaida Castle with towers and walls, surrounded by green forest and the Gauja River in Gauja National Park, Latvia.

Rescuers and cranes at the site of the Maxima supermarket in Riga, Latvia, where the roof has collapsed, leaving a large hole surrounded by debris next to a multi-story building.

National anthem of Latvia

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Topics

Kārlis Ulmanis Vaira Vike-Freiberga Janis Čakste Jānis Balodis Rüdiger, count von der Goltz Europe Baltic states League of Nations European Union collapse of the Soviet Union United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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Kārlis Ulmanis

Kārlis Ulmanis

prime minister of Latvia

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Rüdiger, count von der Goltz

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Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.

Europe

continent

Map of the Baltic States-Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania-showing country borders, major uplands and plains, highest points, and the capitals Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. Surrounding countries and bodies of water, including Russia, Belarus, Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of Finland, are also labeled.

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national capital, Latvia

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Liepāja

Latvia

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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1922–91

Soviet Union

historical state, Eurasia

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