Latvia

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Latvia spends US$710 million, or 2.15 percent of its GDP on its military. This represents 0.037 percent of total global military expenditure and ranks Latvia as the 84th highest military spender in the world.

The Army of Latvia, called the national Armed Forces, consist of a land force and naval force and an Air Force. It is tasked to defend its population against external aggression as well as maintaining territorial integrity.

Military membership

It is also a member of 10 international military organizations which makes it the 34th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Common Security and Defence Policy
Permanent Structured Cooperation
Member state of NATO
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group

Australia Group
International Atomic Energy Agency
NATO

Military membership

International wars

Latvia has partaken in four international wars. These are:

Russian Civil War 1917-1918
Soviet occupation of the Baltic states 1940-1940
Guerrilla war in the Baltic states 1944-1953
Singing Revolution 1987-1991

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Latvia is a member of 18 international political organizations which ranks it as the 10th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
Council of the Baltic Sea States
HELCOM (Helsinki Commission)
Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health
European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Union for the Mediterranean
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy
UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is also the 37th most democratic state in the world. This is mainly due to having free and fair elections since its independence. However, Latvia has not been able to eradicate small scale corruption.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Latvia take place in the form of a parliamentary representative democratic republic where the Prime Minister is head of government, and the president is head of state.

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Known for its liquor as well as its iconic forests, Latvia has been at the center of struggles between major European powers. At the start of modern civilization, the territory of Latvia was under the jurisdiction of Germany between the 13th and the 16th century. During the second half of the 16th century, the territory was taken over by Poland which lost the territory to Sweden during the second half of the 17th century until it became a part of the Russian Empire in 1721. Its independence in 1918 was short lived when the Soviets Incorporated Latvia into the Soviet Union in 1939. After losing its territory briefly to Nazi Germany, it became incorporated into the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Since then, Latvia has proclaimed its independence and joint the European union in 2004. .

The geography of Latvia mainly consists of flat terrain with several low-lying hills. It borders Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, Lithuania to the south and the Baltic Sea to the west.

It is the 122nd largest state in the world with a surface area of 64,882 square kilometers or 25,051 square miles. This makes Latvia slightly larger than Togo and slightly smaller than Lithuania.

It is the 88th state with the highest amount of surface water which is 2352 square kilometers or 905 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water is derived from underground as well as water treatment plants that purify the water from the Western Dvina River.

Because of its location on the Baltic Sea, Latvia enjoys an oceanic climate with cool winters and mild summers. Its climate switches to a more continental climate on its border with Russia. Its average temperature is 5.8 degrees Celsius or 42.4 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Latvia the 184th warmest state in the world.

Its summer period, which is from June to September, has an average temperature of nine degrees Celsius or 48.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its winter period, which is between December and February, has an average temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius or 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its annual precipitation is 58.8 centimetres or 23.2 inches. Most of its rainfall occurs during its summer period when the vaporized winds from the Baltic Sea come down. Despite being only ranked the 147th state with the highest amount of rainfall, Latvia contains most of its water due to its low temperature.

The capital of Latvia, Riga, is home to around 750,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Riga is Vilnius Lithuania with a distance of 259 kilometers or 161 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Riga is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 17,311 kilometers or 10,757 miles.

The economy of Latvia is mainly and export-oriented economy. As a result, its economy fluctuates heavily with the global economy. This has led to a decline of nearly 20 percent of its GDP during the financial crisis as well as a decline in its GDP during the Covid pandemic. Most of its exports are food and wood which are mainly exported to Estonia, Lithuania and Russia which combined represent 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports come from the Lithuania and Germany which combined represent nearly 30 percent of all imports.

Lithuania is a member of 13 international economic organizations which makes it the 78th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Nordic Investment Bank
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community

International Renewable Energy Agency
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

It has the 100th highest GDP in the world which is US$32.9 billion and represents 0.04 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per service area is US$507,397 per square kilometer or US$1.3 billion per square mile. This makes it the 92nd state with the highest GDP per surface area.

Its GDP per capita is the 48th highest in the world and stands at US$17,186.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the US$30,023 which is the 48th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Latvia is an ethnically heterogenous state with roughly 60 percent being ethnically Latvian and 30 percent being ethnically Russian. The remaining 10 percent is mainly represented by Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens. With a population of 1.9 million people, Latvia is the 148th most populous state in the world.

It has the 150th highest population density in the world with 29 people per square kilometer or 76 people per square mile.

Around 17.3 percent of its population or just over 300,000 people have migrated to other states. These are mainly states that can provide a better economic perspective with Russia being the largest recipients of Latvians, representing nearly a third of all emigrants.

Immigration to Latvia is represented by 13.8 percent of the population, or just over 250,000 people. Russia is again the largest supplier of immigrants, representing nearly half. Other large suppliers are Ukraine and Belarus with each represent 20 percent of all immigrants.

Education in Latvia is free and compulsory between the ages of five and 18. As a result of the continuation of a focus on education, Latvia has the fifth highest literacy rate in the world which stands at 99.5 percent.

Latvia has the 97th highest life expectancy in the world. Women reach an average age of 80.4 years while men reach 70.8 years. Its healthcare system is considered to be average, with a relatively low funding compared to other states within the European union. The leading cause of death are related to lifestyle choices with some of the highest smoker rates and obesity rates within Europe.

Freedom of religion is granted by the Latvian state and infringement on the practice of religion by the state has not been observed.

Christianity is the largest religion within Latvia and represents 46.6 percent of the population. This makes Latvia the 123rd most Christian state in the world. The largest denominations within Latvia are Lutheranism due to its historic past with Sweden as well as Catholicism due to its historic past with Poland. The Russian minority within Latvia mainly practices Eastern orthodoxy.

Islam is represented by 0.1 percent of the population and is mainly represented by descendants of Ottoman political refugees that took refuge in Latvia after the Russo Turkish war. These descendants mainly adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam.

After gaining its independence, Latvia granted religious freedom to Buddhists. This has led to the immigration of Buddhists as well is the conversion of Latvians to Buddhism of the last three decades. Currently, Buddhism is represented by 0.07 percent of the population.

Hinduism is represented by 0.04 percent of the population and is mainly represented by the Hare Krishna denomination.

0.12 percent of the population adheres to Judaism. Despite being occupied by Nazi Germany as well as the migration of Jews to Israel, there is still a significant proportion of Jews residing within Latvia. However, the majority of Jews are located in its capital, Riga.

0.17 percent of the population adheres to other religions. This is mainly represented by neopaganism.

The second largest group in Latvia considers themselves to be irreligious and is represented by 29.4 percent of the population.