Latvia
Destination country · migration, permits and visas
- Inflow of foreign nationals, 2023 (OECD)
- 6,873
- Largest group, 2023
- India
- First residence permits, 2025 (Eurostat)
- 8,990
- Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
- 10.8%
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Who moves to Latvia
Inflows of foreign nationals recorded by Latvia, by nationality (OECD).
- India1,241
- Kazakhstan900
- Uzbekistan750
- Russia686
- Ukraine429
- Belarus374
- Sri Lanka287
- Poland280
- Tajikistan145
- Lithuania131
- Azerbaijan131
- Vietnam121
- Georgia118
- Türkiye114
- Germany110
- Sweden91
- Philippines86
- Israel81
- Pakistan70
- Cameroon66
All inflows by year
Data table
| 2000 | 1,134 |
| 2005 | 1,229 |
| 2006 | 2,268 |
| 2007 | 2,373 |
| 2008 | 2,445 |
| 2009 | 2,121 |
| 2010 | 2,057 |
| 2014 | 3,685 |
| 2017 | 4,536 |
| 2018 | 6,105 |
| 2019 | 6,211 |
| 2020 | 4,171 |
| 2021 | 5,754 |
| 2022 | 6,275 |
| 2023 | 6,873 |
Foreign nationals living in Latvia
Stock of foreign nationals by nationality (latest year reported) and acquisitions of Latvia's nationality (OECD).
- Russia45,227
- Ukraine8,307
- Lithuania5,147
- Belarus4,412
- India4,371
- Uzbekistan4,063
- Germany2,753
- United Kingdom1,475
- Estonia1,287
- Israel1,132
- Italy1,065
- France956
- Azerbaijan888
- Sweden877
- United States849
Acquisitions of nationality by year
Data table
| 2000 | 51 |
| 2001 | 66 |
| 2002 | 38 |
| 2003 | 26 |
| 2004 | 61 |
| 2005 | 125 |
| 2006 | 219 |
| 2007 | 192 |
| 2008 | 149 |
| 2009 | 130 |
| 2010 | 138 |
| 2011 | 90 |
| 2012 | 168 |
| 2013 | 241 |
| 2014 | 312 |
| 2015 | 212 |
| 2016 | 550 |
| 2017 | 100 |
| 2018 | 105 |
| 2019 | 118 |
| 2020 | 139 |
| 2021 | 71 |
| 2022 | 176 |
| 2023 | 153 |
International migrants
People living in Latvia who were born in another country, or who hold foreign citizenship where country of birth is not recorded: mid-year estimates (UN DESA).
- Russia107,529
- Belarus38,908
- Ukraine29,708
- Lithuania13,084
- Kazakhstan5,204
- United Kingdom3,418
- Estonia2,622
- Uzbekistan2,366
- Germany1,992
- Azerbaijan1,798
- Moldova1,572
- India1,188
International migrants by year
Data table
| 1990 | 646,007 |
| 1995 | 538,093 |
| 2000 | 430,178 |
| 2005 | 376,725 |
| 2010 | 313,786 |
| 2015 | 265,418 |
| 2020 | 239,422 |
| 2024 | 220,471 |
- International migrants, 2024
- 220,471
- Share of the population, 2024
- 11.8%
- Counted by
- country of birth
Migrants in the labour market
Labour force survey results for Latvia: residents aged 15 and over who were born abroad, compared with those born in the country (ILOSTAT).
| Indicator | Born in the country | Born abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Employment-to-population ratio, 2025 | 60.0% | 39.9% |
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 6.8% | 7.5% |
- Born abroad: share of all workers, 2025
- 9.2%
- Born abroad: share of high-skill jobs, 2025
- 7.5%
- Born abroad: share of medium-skill jobs, 2025
- 9.7%
- Born abroad: share of elementary jobs, 2025
- 14.2%
Earnings by occupation
Mean gross annual earnings of employees in Latvia by major occupation group, in enterprises with 10 or more employees (Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022).
| Occupation group | Mean annual earnings, EUR | Index, all occupations = 100 |
|---|---|---|
| All occupations | 19,486 | 100 |
| Managers | 33,628 | 173 |
| Professionals | 27,211 | 140 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | 21,241 | 109 |
| Clerical support workers | 16,288 | 84 |
| Service and sales workers | 11,775 | 60 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | 13,261 | 68 |
| Craft and related trades workers | 16,165 | 83 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 15,809 | 81 |
| Elementary occupations | 10,838 | 56 |
| Armed forces occupations | 16,265 | 83 |
- Mean gross annual earnings, all employees, 2022
- 19,486 EUR
- Women's mean earnings as a share of men's, 2022
- 80.2%
Residence permits
First residence permits issued by Latvia to non-EU citizens (Eurostat).
First permits by year
Data table
| 2008 | 6,152 |
| 2009 | 1,641 |
| 2010 | 1,782 |
| 2011 | 3,873 |
| 2012 | 5,322 |
| 2013 | 7,163 |
| 2014 | 9,767 |
| 2015 | 6,255 |
| 2016 | 5,910 |
| 2017 | 6,610 |
| 2018 | 8,821 |
| 2019 | 10,039 |
| 2020 | 5,460 |
| 2021 | 8,091 |
| 2022 | 8,687 |
| 2023 | 10,074 |
| 2024 | 8,935 |
| 2025 | 8,990 |
- Work4,146
- Education2,980
- Family1,352
- Other reasons512
- India2,090
- Uzbekistan2,020
- Tajikistan471
- Türkiye419
- Russia407
- Belarus324
- Vietnam319
- Azerbaijan315
- Sri Lanka223
- Pakistan196
- Ukraine185
- Philippines175
- China161
- United States151
- Moldova120
- Other paid activities4,008
- EU Blue Card89
- Highly skilled workers (national schemes)36
- Researchers13
- Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
- 71,462
- Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
- 4,862
- Changed status into work, 2025
- 413
- Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
- 5
- Seasonal work authorisations, 2024
- 356
Schengen visas issued by Latvia
Short-stay visa applications at Latvia's consulates worldwide.
Applications by year
Data table
| 2009 | 120,379 |
| 2010 | 137,432 |
| 2011 | 163,309 |
| 2012 | 182,496 |
| 2013 | 205,230 |
| 2014 | 207,185 |
| 2015 | 164,000 |
| 2016 | 165,814 |
| 2017 | 166,800 |
| 2018 | 161,709 |
| 2019 | 167,743 |
| 2020 | 30,134 |
| 2021 | 16,764 |
| 2022 | 21,140 |
| 2023 | 18,897 |
| 2024 | 17,654 |
| Country of the consulate | Applications 2024 | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|
| Uzbekistan | 4,976 | 10.0% |
| Azerbaijan | 3,125 | 16.5% |
| Kazakhstan | 1,917 | 3.2% |
| Russia | 1,328 | 2.9% |
| Türkiye | 1,303 | 22.7% |
| United Kingdom | 1,073 | 19.7% |
| Belarus | 1,051 | 3.5% |
| India | 963 | 11.8% |
| China | 646 | 3.1% |
| United Arab Emirates | 451 | 6.2% |
| Georgia | 415 | 6.3% |
| Egypt | 158 | 12.0% |
| United States | 150 | 23.3% |
| Ireland | 27 | 7.4% |
| Australia | 27 | 22.2% |
Latvia's embassies and consulates abroad
Countries in which Latvia has an embassy or consulate, as recorded in Wikidata.
| Country | Embassies | Consulates-general | Consulates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1 | — | — |
| Austria | 1 | — | — |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | — | — |
| Belarus | 1 | — | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 | — | — |
| Canada | 1 | — | — |
| China | 1 | — | — |
| Czechia | 1 | — | — |
| Egypt | 1 | — | — |
| Estonia | 1 | — | — |
| Finland | 1 | — | — |
| France | 1 | — | — |
| Georgia | 1 | — | — |
| Germany | 1 | — | — |
| Greece | 1 | — | — |
| Hungary | 1 | — | — |
| India | 1 | — | — |
| Ireland | 1 | — | — |
| Israel | 1 | — | — |
| Italy | 1 | — | — |
| Japan | 1 | — | — |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | — | — |
| Lithuania | 1 | — | — |
| Moldova | 1 | — | — |
| Norway | 1 | — | — |
| Poland | 1 | — | — |
| Russia | 1 | — | — |
| South Korea | 1 | — | — |
| Spain | 1 | — | — |
| Sweden | 1 | — | — |
| Türkiye | 1 | — | — |
| Ukraine | 1 | — | — |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | — | — |
| United Kingdom | 1 | — | — |
| United States | 1 | — | — |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | — | — |
- Countries
- 36
- Missions
- 37
Remittances sent abroad
Personal remittances paid from Latvia to other countries, in current US dollars (World Bank).
Remittances paid by year, US$ million
Data table
| 2000 | 132 |
| 2001 | 142 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 9 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 25 |
| 2007 | 41 |
| 2008 | 791 |
| 2009 | 571 |
| 2010 | 315 |
| 2011 | 358 |
| 2012 | 338 |
| 2013 | 376 |
| 2014 | 292 |
| 2015 | 273 |
| 2016 | 234 |
| 2017 | 203 |
| 2018 | 239 |
| 2019 | 241 |
| 2020 | 175 |
| 2021 | 398 |
| 2022 | 593 |
| 2023 | 478 |
| 2024 | 577 |
| 2025 | 672 |
- Remittances paid, 2025
- US$672 million
Corridors into Latvia
Nationalities with a dedicated corridor page.
- India → Latvia
- Uzbekistan → Latvia
- Ukraine → Latvia
Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more