What every visitor should know about Latvia:

Money
The currency is the Latvian lats (LVL). 1 LVL is worth about US$2.00, or €1.42.
Crime
CrimeSafe Travel Score™: 4.5 out of 5 (Very safe)

Areas of concern:

  • Mugging
  • Pick-pocketing / bag-snatching
  • Car theft
Capital
Riga
Tap water
Safe in cities, but bottled water is advisable in rural areas.

Latvia facts and figures:

People

Population
2,231,503
Language
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3%
Ethnicity
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2%

Economy

GDP
US$17,800 (per capita)
Income equality
High
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