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Facts & Figures

President: Raimonds Vejonis (2015)

Prime Minister: Laimdota Straujuma (2014)


Population (2014 est.): 2,165,165 (growth rate: –0.62%); birth rate: 9.79/1000; infant mortality rate: 7.91/1000; life expectancy: 73.44

Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Riga, 701,000

Monetary unit: euro

National name: Latvijas Republika

Current government officials




National Holiday: Independence Day, November 18

Literacy: 99.8% (2011 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2013 est.): $38.87 billion; per capita $19,100. Real growth rate: 4%. Inflation: 0.2%. Unemployment: 9.8%. Arable land: 17.96%. Agriculture: grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish. Labor force: 1.022 million; agriculture 8.8%, industry 24%, services 67.2% (2010 est.). Industries: buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note—dependent on imports for energy and raw materials. Natural resources: peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land. Exports: $12.67 billion (2013 est.): wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs. Imports: $15.56 billion (2013 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles. Major trading partners: Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Poland, Italy (2011).


Transportation: Railways: total: 2,239 km (2008). Highways: total: 72,440 km; paved: 14,707 km; unpaved: 57,733 km (2010). Waterways: 300 km perennially navigable. Ports and harbors: Riga, Ventspils. Airports: 42 (2032).


Major sources and definitions

Flag of Latvia
  1. Latvia Main Page
  2. Latvia Declares Independence and Seeks to Protect Its Ethnic Identity
  3. Political Unrest Grows as the Economy Falters
  4. Dombrovskis Resigns after Supermarket Collapse




Parliamentary democracy.





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