Latvia’s population totalled 1.845 million people in the beginning of 2026, which was down 15,500 (0.83%) from a year earlier, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reported. The population declined in all regions. Altogether 69.8% of people lived in cities and 30.2% in rural areas, with 46.0% living in Riga region….
Latvia and Finland will co-host the men’s Ice Hockey World Championship games in 2030, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced, LSM reports. The joint bid by the Latvian capital, Riga, and the Finnish capital, Helsinki, was the only contender for the games in May-June 2030. The semifinal and final matches will be played in Helsinki….
Latvia’s Riga International Airport (RIX) posted an audited profit of EUR 4.2mn in 2025, which was up EUR 0.8mn from 2024, The Baltic Times reported. The airport’s annual net turnover totalled EUR 80.7mn, which was up 3.9% over a year. Revenue from aviation services amounted to EUR 47.3mn (up 5.4%) and from non-aviation services to…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has searched three hospitals in Riga and Valmiera in a case involving suspected fraud of EU and state budget funds, LSM reports. KNAB carried out searches in more than 17 locations across Latvia, including at the Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital (PSKUS) and the Traumatology and Orthopaedics Hospital…
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that Ukraine was planning to attack Russia from the territory of the Baltic States, Baltic News Network reported. SVR claimed that Ukrainian soldiers had already been deployed to five military bases in Latvia and threatened Latvia with “just retribution.” Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, repeated the claims and threats…
The volume of freight transported by road increased, while the volume of rail freight decreased in Latvia in 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The total volume of freight transported by land amounted to 89.8 million tonnes in 2025, which was up 0.6% from 89.3 million tonnes in 2024. The volume…
Latvia’s Freeport of Riga opened the new cruise season on 3 May 2026, Latvijas Avize reports. The port expects to receive altogether 103 cruise liners in 2026, which would be the highest number in the port’s history. The ships would bring no less than 135,000 tourists to Riga, which also would be an all-time record…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed a law on the establishment of a new national concert hall, the Riga Philharmonic, LETA reports. The law designates the concert hall with the status of an object of national interest. The plan is to build the concert hall by reconstructing and expanding the Riga Congress Centre. The…
Drivers of motor vehicles in Latvia paid altogether EUR 8.5mn in traffic fines in 2025, according to the country’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), LSM reports. The most violations were registered on the A8 and A1 highways and on Juglas Street in Riga. CSDD’s 100 stationary speed cameras record an average of 200,000 speeding violations…