Latvia’s industrial production output increased by 9.2% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau’s (CSP) calendar-adjusted data at constant prices, LSM reported. Output rose by 1.0% in manufacturing and by 40.6% in electricity and gas supply, but fell by 30.7% in mining and…
The prison population per capita in the Baltic States is the highest in Latvia, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. Latvia had 187 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2024, which was up 8% from 173 in 2023. The figure was the third-highest in the entire EU. Lithuania’s prison population stood at 155 (159) and Estonia’s…
The Latvian government will have to decide on additional capital needed for the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, in 2026, Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens stated, LETA reports. He stressed that the airline’s future operations required capital investment. However, the government would have to seek additional sources of funding for such an investment, the minister explained….
Several unmanned aerial vehicles entered Latvian airspace from Russia, and two of them crashed in eastern Latvia, in the early morning hours of 7 May 2026, according to the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), LETA reported. One of the drones crashed at East-West Transit’s oil storage facility in Rezekne, LETA reported. No significant damage and…
The share of people living in households with dependent children who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in the Baltic States was highest in Lithuania in 2025, Eurostat reported. The AROPE rate for people living in households with dependent children stood at 18.3% in Lithuania in 2025, which was down from 20.9%…
Opposition parties in Latvia have seized on culturally divisive issues to garner support ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2026, New Eastern Europe reports. Earlier, the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, voted to withdraw from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women. Opposition parties claim that the human rights treaty is…
Latvia’s Competition Council concluded seven high-priority cases on violations of and non-compliance with competition law in 2025, LSM reports. Total fines issued in the cases amounted to EUR 2.5mn, according to the council’s annual report. The public benefit increased by around 25% over a year, the Competition Council estimated. The biggest sanctions included a EUR…
The share of people with or without disabilities who felt discriminated against in administrative offices and public services is the EU’s highest in Estonia, according to survey data from Eurostat, LSM reports. As many as 14.6% of people with disabilities perceived discrimination when interacting with public administration or accessing public services in Estonia in 2024,…
Latvia has over 223,000 pupils studying in schools of general education in the academic year 2025/2026, TV3 reports. However, due to the country’s demographic decline, the number of schoolchildren may drop to fewer than 200,000 by 2030. By 2040, the number may fall to a little over 120,000, which would be more than 40% fewer…
