Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia
Latvia: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 35.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia stood at 35.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia peaked at 38.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 1950.
Latvia ranks 120th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 27.9% | — |
| 1955 | 31.6% | +13.6% |
| 1960 | 32.4% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 33.4% | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 34.8% | +4.2% |
| 1975 | 36.2% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 37.8% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 38.1% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 38.6% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 36.2% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 35.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 35.3% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 35.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 35.0% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 29.7% | 27.9% | 31.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 32.9% | 32.4% | 33.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 35.5% | 34.8% | 36.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 38.0% | 37.8% | 38.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 37.6% | 36.6% | 38.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.0% | 35.8% | 36.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 35.2% | 35.0% | 35.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 35.0% | 35.0% | 35.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More population data for Latvia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.8064 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.55 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 31,860 people (2100)
- Population density 14.87 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.481 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.3147 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Latvia was 35.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 1950.
- How does Latvia rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Latvia ranks 120th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latvia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.