Social spending as share of GDP in Latvia
Latvia: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.1% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Social spending as share of GDP in Latvia, 1994–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Latvia recorded 0.1% for social spending as share of gdp in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.7% on the previous year and down 54.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Latvia peaked at 0.3% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1994.
Latvia ranks 35th of 42 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Social spending as share of GDP in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | — |
| 1997 | 0.1% | — |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -16.5% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +20.9% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +19.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +44.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -18.3% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -15.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -12.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +30.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +69.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -25.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -26.4% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | +12.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More economy & growth data for Latvia
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 23.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2406 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 6,330 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 18.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.2129 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 5,601 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 18.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2098 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 5,519 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 11.67 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Latvia?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Latvia was 0.1% in 2021, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2011.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1994.
- How does Latvia rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Latvia ranks 35th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latvia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.