On 31 January Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) will launch annual population survey collecting statistics for income and living conditions (EU-SILC). Out of all 825 thousand Latvian households, around 8 thousand households, which were selected with a random sampling method, will be surveyed. Respondents will be asked about household composition as well as social and economic characteristics, housing conditions, income, self-perceived health status, social exclusion and material deprivation of their members.
This year special attention is given to accessibility to and availability of various services as well as feeling discriminated in education, when in contact with administrative offices or public services, when looking for housing, or when in public spaces. The 2024 survey is also aimed at collecting more detailed information about children – their general health, affordability and availability of health care services for children and formal childcare services, material deprivation of children.
People participating in the survey repeatedly will receive a CSB letter inviting respondents to complete electronic questionnaire in the CSB Electronic Data Collection system e.csp.gov.lv from 31 January to 21 February. If due to some reason respondent will not complete e-survey during the web-interviewing period, he/she will be contacted by a CSB interviewer by phone or visited until 30 June.
People participating in the survey for the first time will be contacted by a CSB interviewer from 31 January to 30 June to arrange a telephone or face-to-face interview. Each respondent will receive a CSB letter informing about the planned date of the interview and containing interviewer’s contacts. Upon arrival, the interviewer will present a CSB employee identification card with a photo. Respondents can verify identity of an interviewer and find out any other information about the survey by calling the toll-free assistance number +371 80008811 on weekdays from 10:00 to 18:00 or by writing to the e-mail address silc@csp.gov.lv. Read more about the survey on csp.gov.lv/en/silc.
CSB guarantees confidentiality of the personal data and will only publish summarised data.
The minimum income thresholds for the provision of social assistance set by the Section 33 of the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance are based on the national EU-SILC. The results from the survey were also used to increase minimum pensions, remunerations and state social security benefits as of 1 January 2024.
The minimum income thresholds annually are revised on 1 January, and the decisions regarding these revisions are made based on the latest statistics for population income.
The key results from the EU-SILC 2023 survey
- Compared to 2021, household disposable income in 2022 increased by 9.1 %, reaching EUR 740 per household member monthly. Income grew slower than in 2021 when there was a rise of 7.6 %.
- In 2022, monthly income in the poorest households (belonging to the first quintile group) reached EUR 262 per household member, while in the richest households (belonging to the fifth quintile group) EUR 1 592. In middle-income households, it ranged from EUR 461 (in second quintile group) to EUR 869 (in fourth quintile group).
- The sharpest income growth in 2022 was observed in the poorest households – rise of 12.9 % compared to 2021. Income in other households grew more moderately.
- Although income in the richest households went up slower than in other households, income inequality remained high. In 2022, income in the richest households were 6.2 times higher than in the poorest households (6.3 times in 2021).
- Out of the total population of Latvia, 419 thousand people or 22.5 % were at risk of poverty in 2022.
About the survey
EU-SILC is annually collected in all EU countries based on a common and verified methodology. It allows to reflect EU-level and national trends and compare various social and economic aspects affecting well-being of households and individuals.
More EU-SILC is available on the official statistics portal:
Private households and families