Latvia

Europe · Northern Europe · capital Riga

About Latvia

The capital of Latvia is Riga. Riga is the seat of national government for Latvia, a country in Northern Europe.

Latvia has a population of about 1.9 million people, the 150th largest population in the world. Population figures come from World Bank estimates.

Latvia covers 64,559 square kilometers (24,926 square miles), making Latvia the 125th largest country in the world by area.

Latvia borders 4 countries: Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania and Russia.

Life expectancy at birth in Latvia is 75.7 years, the 98th highest of any country in the world.

Latvia is in Europe, in the Northern Europe region. Latvia is one of 53 countries and territories in Europe.

Data updated April 1, 2026

Statistics and world rankings for Latvia
Populationtotal people	1.9Mpeople	150th
Land Areatotal km²	64.6Kkm²	125th
GDP per PersonUSD per person	$22.7K	62nd
Total GDPUSD · whole economy	$42.8B	99th
Life Expectancyyears, at birth	75.7years	98th
Urban Population% living in cities	68.4%	96th
Internet Users% of people online	92.2%	39th
Fertility Ratechildren per woman	1.36births/woman	185th
Tourist Arrivalsvisitors per year	3.2Marrivals/year	61st
Forest Cover% of land forested	54.9%	40th
Unemployment Rate% of labor force	6.5%	70th
Military Spending% of GDP	3.0%of GDP	25th
Renewable Energy% of energy use	44.0%	55th
Inflation Rateannual CPI change	8.9%	52nd
Beer Consumptionliters per year	81.5L/year	10th
Coffee Consumptionkg per year	4kg/year	24th
Wine Consumptionliters per year	9L/year	37th
Education Spending% of GDP	4.3%of GDP	81st
Health Spending% of GDP	7.3%of GDP	79th
Arable Land% of land arable	21.9%	50th
Foreign Direct InvestmentUSD inflow/year	$1.7B	75th

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 LV · alpha-3 LVA · Northern Europe