Latvia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Latvia. Most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east. Mother's mean age at first birth is 27.3 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 18 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Latvia
Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Geographic coordinates 57 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain low plain
Natural Resources peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land
Natural Hazards large percentage of agricultural fields can become waterlogged and require drainage
Irrigated Land 6 sq km (2016)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,370 km
Border Countries Belarus 161 km; Estonia 333 km; Lithuania 544 km; Russia 332 km
Coastline 498 km
Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters
Area
Total Area
Land Area 62,249 sq km
Water Area 2,340 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Russia
Continental shelf 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Gaizina Kalns 312 m
Lowest point Baltic Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 87 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 29.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 18.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 10.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 54.1% (2018 est.)
Other 16.7% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country

People and Society

In Latvia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Latvian 62.7%, Russian 24.5%, Belarusian 3.1%, Ukrainian 2.2%, Polish 2%, Lithuanian 1.1%, other 1.8%, unspecified 2.6% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate -1.14% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 14.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 7.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 5.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.55 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.76 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 49.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 6% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -4.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Latvian | Latvian(s)
Languages
Religions Lutheran 36.2%, Roman Catholic 19.5%, Orthodox 19.1%, other Christian 1.6%, other 0.1%, unspecified/none 23.5% (2017 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 14.7% (male 136,482/female 128,492)
15-64 years 63% (male 562,754/female 572,850)
65 years and over 22.2% (2024 est.) (male 137,746/female 262,922)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 59.3
Youth dependency ratio 24.9
Elderly dependency ratio 34.4
Potential support ratio 2.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 45.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 41.6 years
Female 49.2 years
Urbanization
Urban population 68.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization -0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 621,000 RIGA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.52 male(s)/female
Total population 0.87 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 72 years
Female 81 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 98.6% of population
Improved: total total: 99.5% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 1.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 98.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 85.3% of population
Improved: total total: 94.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 14.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 5.4% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk intermediate (2023)
Vectorborne diseases tickborne encephalitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 12.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 1.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 5.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 37% (2020 est.)
Male 50.3% (2020 est.)
Female 23.7% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Latvia

Want to know more about Latvia? Check all different factbooks for Latvia below.

Latvia is found in Northern Europe