Latvia’s industrial production output increased by 8.8% in October 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, according to calendar-adjusted data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. Output in electricity and gas supply rose by 10.1% and in manufacturing by 9.5%, but fell by 16.1% in mining and quarrying. Compared to September 2025,…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved in final reading draft laws accompanying the state budget for 2026, LETA reports. MPs will now begin discussing the draft budget. The government’s budget priorities are national security, support for families with children, and high-quality education. Revenues are planned at EUR 16.1bn and expenditures at EUR 17.9bn. The…
Lithuania recorded the largest increase in net electricity generation in the EU over 2013-2023, according to data from Eurostat, LSM reports. Lithuania’s net electricity production rose by 28.2% in the ten-year period. Latvia recorded a slight increase in electricity generation as well. Meanwhile, Estonia’s electricity generation decreased by as much as 58.5% over the same…
Swedish-owned IKEA Group has received permission from the Estonian Competition Authority (Konkurentsiamet) to acquire 18,000 hectares of forest from Swedish-owned Södra Forest Estonia, ERR reports. Under the deal, IKEA Group’s subsidiary, Ingka Investments, will buy Södra’s forests in Estonia and Latvia for EUR 720mn. Latvia’s Competition Council has received notification of the deal. Södra owns…
Latvia’s state real estate management company, Valsts Nekustamie Ipasumi (VNI), plans to complete the construction of a fence along the full stretch of the country’s border with Russia by the end of 2025, LSM reports. Only around 6 kilometres of the fence remains to be built in areas of difficult terrain along the border. VNI…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments reducing state support for Ukrainian refugees in Latvia, LSM reports. The government will allocate EUR 39.7mn of budget funds to support Ukrainians in the country in 2026, which will be down from EUR 65mn in 2025. The government will stop support to those Ukrainians who have found…
Latvians are not buying homes due to high prices, insufficient savings and income, and economic uncertainty, according to a Norstat survey carried out for Luminor Bank in September 2025, LSM reports. The survey showed that 27% of Latvian residents cited high real estate prices as the main obstacle to buying a home. Another 24% of…
Gender equality in Latvia worsened sharply in 2025, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s (EIGE) Gender Equality Index, LETA reports. Latvia ranked 24th out of 27 EU member states on the index in 2025, which was down from 19th place in 2024. Latvia scored 56.7 points on gender equality, which was down from…
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Denmark have signed a cooperation agreement to begin joint medicine purchases, ERR reports. The Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs said that the agreement would allow the countries to order larger quantities of medicines, helping obtain lower prices and more reliable terms of delivery. The ministry noted that new medicines usually arrive…