Latvia Population
Latvia had an estimated population of 1,847,785 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 150th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.02% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.99% a year.
Latvia at a glance
How Latvia's population is changing
Latvia's population is shrinking: −0.99% a year, which works out to about −18,249 people per year, or −50 a day. Births (6.9 per 1,000) and deaths (14.3 per 1,000) alone would give −0.74% a year; net migration removes about 7,330 people a year (−0.40%). Roughly one in every 4,446 people on Earth lives in Latvia.
Population of Latvia since 1960
In 1960, Latvia had 2,120,979 people. By 2025 that was 1,847,785 — 13% smaller. The population peaked in 1989 at 2,666,955 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 11%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,120,979 | — |
| 1970 | 2,359,164 | +11.2% |
| 1980 | 2,511,701 | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 2,663,151 | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 2,367,550 | −11.1% |
| 2010 | 2,097,555 | −11.4% |
| 2020 | 1,900,449 | −9.4% |
| 2025 | 1,847,785 | −2.8% |
Latvia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Latvia at about 590,588 people in 1800; the UN estimates 1,853,560 in 2025 (3× 1800) and projects 925,371 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 1989 at 2,664,839 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 590,588 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 962,199 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,148,646 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,918,725 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 2,368,320 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 1,853,560 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 1,513,807 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 1,180,567 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 925,371 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Latvia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 1,847,785. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riga | 550,267 | UN urban centre | 29.78% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Daugavpils | 57,847 | UN urban centre | 3.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Liepāja | 54,907 | UN urban centre | 2.97% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Jelgava | 54,834 | GeoNames settlement | 2.97% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Jūrmala | 52,001 | GeoNames settlement | 2.81% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Ventspils | 32,723 | GeoNames settlement | 1.77% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Rēzekne | 26,429 | GeoNames settlement | 1.43% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Valmiera | 22,812 | GeoNames settlement | 1.23% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Ogre | 22,767 | GeoNames settlement | 1.23% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Jēkabpils | 21,014 | GeoNames settlement | 1.14% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Latvia compares
Latvia has almost the same population as North Macedonia (1,820,909).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Latvia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #148 |  Slovenia | 2,130,986 | +15% | compare → |
| #149 |  Equatorial Guinea | 1,938,431 | +5% | compare → |
| #151 |  North Macedonia | 1,820,909 | −1% | compare → |
| #152 |  Bahrain | 1,600,366 | −13% | compare → |
Compare Latvia with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Latvia
Land neighbours (4)
Russia 143,513,328 · 77.7× the population · compare
Belarus 9,085,991 · 4.9× the population · compare
Lithuania 2,888,774 · 1.6× the population · compare
Estonia 1,366,475 · 1.4× smaller · compare
Latvia's 4 neighbours together hold 156,854,568 people — 84.9× Latvia's population. The most populous is Russia (143,513,328).
In its region
Latvia is the 42nd most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.2% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Latvia
Cities
Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Ventspils, Rēzekne, Valmiera — all Latvia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Latvia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.