Unemployment rate in Latvia
Latvia: Unemployment rate was 6.57 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Latvia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Latvia is 6.57, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 33.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Latvia peaked at 20.7 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 2.7, in 1991.
Latvia ranks 68th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Latvia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.7 | — |
| 1992 | 6.6 | +144.4% |
| 1993 | 16.7 | +153.0% |
| 1994 | 18.7 | +12.0% |
| 1995 | 19 | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 20.7 | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 14.9 | -28.0% |
| 1998 | 14.45 | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 13.79 | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 14.21 | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 13.82 | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 13.83 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 12.06 | -12.8% |
| 2004 | 11.71 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 10.03 | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 7.03 | -29.9% |
| 2007 | 6.05 | -13.9% |
| 2008 | 7.74 | +27.9% |
| 2009 | 17.52 | +126.3% |
| 2010 | 19.48 | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 16.21 | -16.8% |
| 2012 | 15.05 | -7.2% |
| 2013 | 11.87 | -21.1% |
| 2014 | 10.85 | -8.6% |
| 2015 | 9.87 | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 9.64 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 8.71 | -9.6% |
| 2018 | 7.41 | -15.0% |
| 2019 | 6.31 | -14.8% |
| 2020 | 8.1 | +28.3% |
| 2021 | 7.51 | -7.2% |
| 2022 | 6.82 | -9.3% |
| 2023 | 6.46 | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 6.9 | +6.7% |
| 2025 | 6.57 | -4.8% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 6.57 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 1.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 6.57 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.56, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Latvia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +153.0% | 6.6 | 16.7 |
| 1992 | +144.4% | 2.7 | 6.6 |
| 2009 | +126.3% | 7.74 | 17.52 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.17 | 2.7 | 20.7 | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.4 | 6.05 | 17.52 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.54 | 6.31 | 19.48 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.06 | 6.46 | 8.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More work & labour data for Latvia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.2718 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,152 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 365.13 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 470.3 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 455.07 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 925.37 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Latvia?
- Unemployment rate in Latvia was 6.57 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7 in 1996.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7 in 1991.
- How does Latvia rank for unemployment rate?
- Latvia ranks 68th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latvia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).