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Foreign trade figures of Latvia

Foreign Trade in Figures

The Latvian market is open and competitive, with foreign trade representing 149% of GDP (World Bank, latest data available). According to the Central Statistical Bureau, in 2023, Latvian exports were dominated by machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical equipment, wood articles, and prepared foodstuffs, which accounted for 16.2%, 15.1%, and 9.8% of the total respectively, followed by chemical products, mineral products, and vegetable products. Among Latvian imports, the most significant commodities included machinery, mechanical appliances, electrical equipment, transport vehicles, mineral products, and chemical products, constituting 19.3%, 13.2%, 11.4%, and 10.2% of the total import value respectively.

With its 530 km-long Baltic coastlines on the west, Latvia is bordered by Belarus and Russia to the east, Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. This geographical position allows the country to function as a bridge between the two major economic areas of the EU and the CIS. At the same time, it also makes the country vulnerable to the external context, as shown during the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the following sanctions towards the Russian Federation. In 2023, Latvia’s biggest trading partners were Lithuania (19.8% of Latvia's total trade turnover), Estonia (9.9%), Germany (9.3%), Poland (7.6%), and Sweden (4.4%). Lithuania accounted for the largest share of exports (18.2%), followed by Estonia (11.5%), Germany (6.9%), Sweden and Russia (5.9% each). As per imports, Lithuania (21.1%), Germany (11.2%), Poland (10.6%), Estonia (8.5%), and the Netherlands (4.4%) led the list (data CSB).

The country has a structural trade deficit (notably due to its energy imports), which stood at 3.4% of GDP in 2022 (World Bank, latest data available). According to the provisional data provided by the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, in 2023, Latvia exported goods valued at EUR 18.9 billion, reflecting an 11.2% decrease compared to 2022. Imports totaled EUR 23.2 billion, marking a decrease by 12.5% compared to the previous year. In 2023, exports to EU countries made up 69.1% of the total volume of Latvian exports and decreased by EUR 1.7 billion or 11.4% compared to 2022.

 
Foreign Trade Values 20182019202020212022
Imports of Goods (million USD) 19,68118,95918,44124,44629,497
Exports of Goods (million USD) 16,16615,70516,33720,83324,121
Imports of Services (million USD) 3,5703,5293,2684,2265,050
Exports of Services (million USD) 6,2946,2575,3756,1427,371

Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Indicators 20182019202020212022
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) 123.6120.3118.8130.8146.5
Trade Balance (million USD) -2,944-2,952-1,758-3,267-4,282
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) -230-230453-1,253-1,838
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 6.33.1-0.315.311.7
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 4.42.1-0.35.99.1
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 62.160.558.967.176.2
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 61.559.859.963.770.3

Source: World Bank ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Forecasts 20232024 (e)2025 (e)2026 (e)2027 (e)
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) -0.23.02.62.62.6
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) -0.53.02.52.52.5

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data

Note: (e) Estimated Data

 
International Economic Cooperation
Latvia is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the World Trade Organization, the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It has contributed to NATO peacekeeping missions and is taking part at the present time in the international missions to Afghanistan and Irak.
 

Main Partner Countries

Main Customers
(% of Exports)
2022
Lithuania 18.2%
Estonia 11.7%
Germany 6.7%
Sweden 5.6%
United Kingdom 5.3%
See More Countries 52.5%
Main Suppliers
(% of Imports)
2022
Lithuania 24.3%
Estonia 10.1%
Germany 9.6%
Poland 9.4%
Netherlands 4.0%
See More Countries 42.6%

Source: Comtrade, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

 
 

Main Products

22.5 bn USD of products exported in 2022
Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled,...Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, of a thickness of > 6 mm 5.7%
Petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbonsPetroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons 5.5%
Wheat and meslinWheat and meslin 4.2%
Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular...Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, incl. apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network [such as a local or wide area network]; parts thereof (excl. than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528) 3.6%
Fuel wood, in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or...Fuel wood, in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms; wood in chips or particles; sawdust and wood waste and scrap, whether or not agglomerated in logs, briquettes, pellets or similar forms 3.2%
See More Products 77.8%
27.9 bn USD of products imported in 2022
Petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbonsPetroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons 9.5%
Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous...Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (excl. crude); preparations containing >= 70% by weight of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, n.e.s.; waste oils containing mainly petroleum or bituminous minerals 5.7%
Electrical energyElectrical energy 4.8%
Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally...Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons, incl. station wagons and racing cars (excl. motor vehicles of heading 8702) 3.0%
Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular...Telephone sets, incl. telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, incl. apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network [such as a local or wide area network]; parts thereof (excl. than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528) 2.8%
See More Products 74.2%

Source: Comtrade, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

 
 

To go further, check out our service Import Export Flows.

 

Main Services

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, 2023. Because of rounding, the sum of the percentages may be smaller/greater than 100%.

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Latest Update: March 2024

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