Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia

Latvia: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 23.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
23.6%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
22nd
of 79 countries
All-time high
24.8%
in 2011
All-time low
20.7%
in 2008
Years of data
14
2007–2020

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia, 2007–2020

05101520252007201320202007: 23.3 %2008: 20.7 %2009: 23.7 %2010: 23.8 %2011: 24.8 %2012: 23.8 %2013: 23.6 %2014: 23.1 %2015: 22 %2016: 23.2 %2017: 23.4 %2018: 22.7 %2019: 22.9 %2020: 23.6 %

Source: World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Latvia recorded 23.6% for public sector employment as a share of total employment in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia peaked at 24.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 20.7%, in 2008.

That places Latvia 22nd out of 79 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia, 2007 to 2020.
Year % Change
2007 23.3%
2008 20.7% -11.3%
2009 23.7% +14.8%
2010 23.8% +0.5%
2011 24.8% +4.1%
2012 23.8% -4.2%
2013 23.6% -0.6%
2014 23.1% -2.2%
2015 22.0% -4.7%
2016 23.2% +5.5%
2017 23.4% +0.5%
2018 22.7% -2.9%
2019 22.9% +0.8%
2020 23.6% +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.6% 20.7% 23.7% 3
2010s 23.3% 22.0% 24.8% 10
2020s 23.6% 23.6% 23.6% 1

Countries ranked near Latvia

  1. 19 Spain 24.8% compare
  2. 20 Hungary 24.7% compare
  3. 21 Lithuania 24.4% compare
  4. 23 Slovakia 23.5% compare
  5. 24 Palestine 23.5% compare
  6. 25 Greece 23.4% compare

See the full ranking of 79 places →

More work & labour data for Latvia

All data for Latvia →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia?
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia was 23.6% in 2020, according to World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Latvia?
The highest recorded value was 24.8% in 2011.
What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Latvia?
The lowest recorded value was 20.7% in 2008.
How does Latvia rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
Latvia ranks 22nd out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Latvia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Latvia data come from?
The figures come from World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Latvia. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment/latvia/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Unit
%
Source
World Bank (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
79 places, 1,004 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed

Share of all employed people who are paid employees of the public sector, including government, the armed forces, public services, and state-owned enterprises.