Distillers Latvia
A one-page guide to Latvia for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Riga
- Official languages
- Latvian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Time zone
- UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)
- Area
- 64,589 km²
People
- Population
- 1.9 million (2025)
- Population growth
- -1.0% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 68.6%
- Aged under 15
- 15.2%
- Aged 65 and over
- 22.2%
- Life expectancy
- 76.4 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$48.6 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$26,116 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 2.1% (2025)
- Inflation
- 3.8% (2025)
Climate
Temperate: described as humid continental or oceanic. The west coast (Courland) is cooler in summer and milder in winter, while the east is more continental with warmer summers and harsher winters. The terrain is flat and temperature swings are modest; winter frost needs to be considered for stock in transit.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Legal
- Legal drinking age
- 18 (Alcoholic Beverages Circulation Law; buyers aged 18-25 may be asked for ID)
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 14.18 litres of pure alcohol (2024)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - Legal drinking age (Latvia, likumi.lv); Likumi - Alcoholic Beverages Circulation Law; Wikipedia - Latvijas Balzams; Wikipedia - Latvia; State Revenue Service; EU excise duty tables (position at 1 July 2021); Your Europe: alcohol allowances for travellers entering the EU; Excise rate source - Latvia. Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.