How did Latvia’s manufacturing industries change after the late 1990s?

Following the transition to a market economy after 1991, Latvia’s industrial sector underwent significant structural shifts. By the late 1990s, the country’s manufacturing focus moved away from machine building and metal engineering toward the production of furniture, foodstuffs, beverages, and textiles.1

As the economy continued to diversify throughout the mid-1990s and into the 21st century, the manufacturing of chemicals and pharmaceuticals emerged as an important sector. Furthermore, this period was characterized by the widespread privatization of industry, which was largely completed by the early 2000s.12