41.5 % of employed persons have tertiary education, share continues to increase

According to a Central Statistical Bureau estimate based on administrative data, 41.5 % of the 863 thousand employed persons ¹ had attained tertiary education at the beginning of 2025, up by 2.1 percentage points compared with 2021. 

By level of educational attainment ², 22.1 % of employed persons had a master’s degree, 14.7 % a bachelor’s degree, 4.1 % short-cycle tertiary education (college education), and 0.7 % a doctoral degree. Upper secondary education was attained by 38.3 % of employed persons, post-secondary non-tertiary education by 12.2 %, lower secondary education by 7.6 %, and primary education by 0.4 % of the employed persons.

One in three people in Latvia has attained tertiary education

At the beginning of 2025, 31.4 % of the population had attained tertiary education, which is 0.3 percentage points more than a year earlier.

Compared with 2024, the share of women with tertiary education increased by 0.6 percentage points to 37.5 %, while the share among men remained unchanged at 24.1 %. Compared with 2019, the proportion of men with tertiary education has gone up by 1.1 percentage points, and that of women by 3.9 percentage points.

Highest employment rates still recorded in Mārupe, Ķekava, Ādaži, Ropaži, and Salaspils municipalities

At the beginning of 2025, 863 thousand people, or 54.6 % of the population aged 15 and over, were employed.

Riga, Valmiera and Ogre had the highest employment rates among the State cities – 57.1 %, 56.7 % and 56.2 % respectively. Jelgava follows with 55.5 %, Jūrmala with 54.4 %, Liepāja with 52.8 %, Jēkabpils with 51.6 %, Ventspils with 50.2 %, Rēzekne with 49.9 %, and Daugavpils with 48.2 %.

Share of employed persons in municipalities and State cities; at the beginning of 2025

(share of persons aged 15 and over, per cent)

Refer to the OSP database: EKA140 and interactive map browser

The highest employment rates (exceeding 60 %) for inhabitants aged 15 and over were recorded in Mārupe (65.1 %), Ādaži (63.2 %), Ķekava (63.1 %), Ropaži (62.1 %) and Salaspils (60.3 %) municipalities. 

Sigulda (59.4 %), Olaine (58.9 %), Saulkrasti (58.4 %), Ogre (57.1 %), and Jelgava (55.4 %) municipalities had employment rates between 55 % and 60 %.

Quite a large part of municipalities had an employment rate of 50–55 % – Smiltene (54.8 %), Cēsis (54.8 %), Valmiera (54.4 %), Tukums (53.6 %), Bauska (53.0 %), Dienvidkurzeme (52.8 %), Gulbene (52.6 %), Dobele (52.1 %), Ventspils (51.6 %), Limbaži (51.6 %), Saldus (51.3 %), Jēkabpils (51.2 %), Kuldīga (51.2 %), Talsi (51.1 %), Madona (50.9 %), Alūksne (50.8 %), Aizkraukle (50.5 %) and Preiļi (50.2 %). 

The lowest employment rates (below 50 %) were recorded in Krāslava (44.4 %), Ludza (45.4 %), Augšdaugava (46.6 %), Valka (46.8 %), Rēzekne (47.8 %), Līvāni (48.7 %) and Balvi (49.3 %) municipalities. 

The official statistics portal provides data on education and employment at different territorial levels – regions, State cities, municipalities, municipality towns, municipality rural territories (pagasti), neighbourhoods, and densely populated areas.

Methodological information 

¹ Data refer to persons aged 15 and over.

²  Level of education successfully completed based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-2011). Compliance of the current classification of Latvian education system with ISCED-2011 is stipulated by the Cabinet Regulation No 322 on the classification of Latvian education (available in Latvian).

Media requests:
Public Relations Section
Email: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666

More information on the data:
Sigita Meldere
Social Statistics Department
Email: Sigita.Meldere@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366751