RIR2506
Child population in Latvia stood at 344 thousand
According to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB), children aged 17 and under totalled 344 thousand at the beginning of 2025, accounting for 18.5 % of the country’s population. Cultural and sports programmes were the most popular interest-related programmes at general schools. In contrast, significantly fewer students participated in interest-based STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programmes).
At the beginning of 2025, municipalities near the capital had the highest proportions of children – Mārupe 29.6 %, Ādaži 24.9 %, and Ķekava 24.7 %. However, in the capital itself it stood at just 17.5 %. Latgale region had the lowest share of children – 15.9%, with Krāslava municipality having 12.6 %, Augšdaugava municipality 13.5 %, and Ludza municipality 14.3 %. Since 2024, the total population of children has declined by 8.3 thousand (2.4 %).
Share of children in total population of State cities and municipalities; at the beginning of 2025
(children aged 0–17, %)
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Refer to the OSP database: IRD041
Growing participation in extracurricular interest-based activities
In the school year 2024/2025,160.3 thousand students took part in extracurricular interest-related programmes organised by general schools – a 7.3 % increase compared with 149.5 thousand in 2023/2024.
Sports activities continue to grow in popularity. The number of students attending sports clubs at general schools rose from 29.7 thousand in 2023/2024 to 30.8 thousand in 2024/2025. Team sports clubs remained the most attended (14.7 thousand students in both years), while participation in individual sports increased from 12.0 thousand to 13.2 thousand students. Swimming lessons also gained popularity, attracting 2.5 thousand students in 2024/2025, up from 1.6 thousand the year before.
Starting from 2024/2025, schools began offering new interest-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education programmes, which enrolled 24.1 thousand students. Interest-based social and civic education programmes involved 16.8 thousand students, and minority language and cultural heritage education programmes – 12.5 thousand.
Cultural education programmes remained highly popular, with 76.1 thousand students participating in 2024/2025. This included 28.4 thousand in music programmes, 24.9 thousand in dance groups, 7.0 thousand in theatre, and 1.5 thousand in folklore groups.
Participation also increased in specialised interest-based institutions. Enrolments in these institutions grew from 54.7 thousand in 2023/2024 to 61.8 thousand in 2024/2025. Sports schools saw an increase from 48.1 thousand to 50.6 thousand students, while enrolments in music and art schools remained relatively stable – 26.4 thousand in 2023/2024 and 26.8 thousand in 2024/2025.
At the beginning of the school year 2024/2025, 90.3 thousand children were enrolled in pre-school education programmes in Latvia. Compared to the previous year, this marks a decrease of 4.6 %.
Enrolment in lower secondary (basic) education programmes totalled 185.0 thousand, with boys making up a slight majority (51.6 %). However, girls accounted for a larger share in upper secondary education, comprising 56.2 % of the 39.0 thousand enrolled students.
In 2024, 22.0 thousand students completed lower secondary education and 11.2 thousand completed upper secondary education. Of those who completed lower secondary education, 56.7 % continued studies in secondary schools and 34.4 % in vocational education institutions. As for upper secondary level graduates, 55.3 % continued studies in higher education institutions or colleges, 2.3 % in vocational schools, while 42.4 % did not pursue further studies.
Children’s health statistics marked by positive parental assessments and rising vaccination rates
In 2024, households generally rated health of their children aged 15 and under positively – 30.7 % assessed it as very good, 62.8 % as good, 5.3 % as fair, and only 1.2 % as bad or very bad. Assessments were more positive for younger children and slightly more critical for older ones. Among households with children aged 3 and under, 34.5 % reported very good and 61.5 % good health, compared with 3.6 % giving a fair and 0.4 % a bad or very bad rating. In contrast, among households with adolescents aged 11–15, only 27.2 % rated health of their children as very good, 64.6 % as good, and 1.8 % as bad or very bad.
Additionally, the share of children aged 15 and under experiencing health-related limitations in activities most children their age usually do has dropped sharply in recent years – from 12.1 % in 2017 to 4.1 % in 2024.
Preventive healthcare for children is receiving growing attention from parents. Since 2021, timely vaccination of children aged 17 and under against certain infectious diseases has increased. For example, 60.8% of girls began timely vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in 2023 – a rise of 21.0 percentage points compared with 39.8% in 2021. An increasing number of children are also receiving timely vaccinations from an early age against diphtheria and tetanus, as well as measles, rubella, and mumps.
Socialisation in a safe school environment
Latest findings1 show that students who feel a sense of belonging at school are less likely to report being bullied. In schools where this sense of belonging is stronger, students also report fewer behavioural problems and feel safer. However, according to a 2023 survey of students in Years 1–92, bullying remains a widespread issue among schoolchildren in Latvia.
A total of 40.2 % of students said they had been bullied at least once in the past couple of months. Students in Years 1–3 and Years 4–6 were more likely to have experienced bullying, with 25.8 % and 24.4 % reporting it, respectively. More than one third (34.0 %) of surveyed students admitted to having bullied others at least once during the same period. This behaviour was most frequently reported by students in Years 1–3 (15.3 %), compared with 9.4 % in Years 4–6 and 8.3 % in Years 7–9. Boys accounted for a significantly larger share of offenders, with 15.3 % admitting to bullying others, compared with just 7.2 % of girls.
More teenagers taking up summer jobs
According to the State Revenue Service data for 2023, one in five children (20.1 %) entered the labour market for the first time between the ages of 13 and 17. A regional breakdown of the data shows the highest share of waged children in Latgale (24.3 %) and Kurzeme (23.6 %), while the lowest in Riga (16.9 %). The average duration of labour contracts tends to increase with age – in 2023, contracts concluded with 13-year-olds lasted an average of 19 days, while those with 17-year-olds averaged 55 days. In 2024, summer employment activities organised by the State Employment Agency engaged 10 405 participants. Participation rates differed by sex, with 56.7 % of girls and 43.3 % of boys taking part.
More detailed statistics for Latvian children – covering demographic indicators, health status and access to healthcare, education, social protection, use of information technologies, and various social risks such as poverty, discrimination, violence, neglect, and conflict with the law – are available in the latest statistical publication Children in Latvia 2025. The collection brings together data from CSB surveys and administrative sources to provide a comprehensive picture of children’s living conditions in Latvia.
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Methodological information
Media requests:
Public Relations Section
Email: media@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666
More information on the data:
Ance Ceriņa
Social Statistics Department
E-mail: Ance.Cerina@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366904
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