Published: 29.01.2026.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey has been conducted in all EU countries for more than 20 years. It covers a wide range of social and economic aspects influencing well-being of households and individuals and, using a common and verified methodology, provides results that are comparable at EU level.

In Latvia, the EU-SILC survey covers around 9 000 households each year, or about one in every hundred. Respondents are chosen using a random sampling method, and each selected household represents many others with similar characteristics.

By taking part, respondents provide objective and reliable data on their actual living conditions and financial well-being. This includes information about health and access to health care, income and ability to make ends meet, housing conditions and costs, loans and expenditures, etc.

The collected data are widely used by national and local authorities when making decisions that affect income levels, pensions and benefits, and access to health care. Participation therefore plays an important role in ensuring that these decisions are based on accurate and representative data.

More information about the EU-SILC is available on the Eurostat website.

Web interviewing

The online questionnaire will be available from 31 January to 21 February 2026 in the CSB Electronic Data Collection system e.csp.gov.lv. It should be completed by the addressee of the invitation letter received by post, email or via your electronic address (e-address). If another person completes the questionnaire, they are fully responsible for the accuracy of the information provided.

Access to the online questionnaire, including from a smartphone, is available only to invitation addressees, who can log in using Internet banking, e-identification card, or an e-signature.

For help with filling in the online questionnaire, see the Guidelines (available in Latvian only).

Please note that CSB may send respondents SMS reminders to complete the online questionnaire.

Personal and telephone interviewing

If, for any reason, respondent is not able to complete the online questionnaire during the web-interviewing period, a CSB interviewer will contact them from 31 January to 30 June 2026 to arrange a telephone or face-to-face interview.

Interviewers work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, so an interview can be scheduled at a time that is most convenient for the respondent.

When visiting in person, the interviewer will present a CSB employee identification card with a photograph. If you want to verify identity of your interviewer or find out any other information about the survey:

The applicable laws and regulations of the European Union and of the Republic of Latvia allow the CSB to collect and process personal data and mandate it to ensure the protection and confidentiality of the data received. The information acquired will only be published as a summarised data and used to analyse economic and social phenomena and processes.

Responsibility of the respondents, in accordance with Section 14 of the Statistics Law, is to support the production of official statistics by providing truthful information and participating in the survey.

Support for older people

According to the EU-SILC from recent years, over 40 % of all elderly and more than 60 % of the elderly living alone are at risk of poverty.

Survey findings have contributed to decisions affecting income of the elderly population:

  • the minimum old-age pension increased from 189 EUR/mo. to 213 EUR/mo., and the minimum old-age pension for persons with disability since childhood from 226 EUR/mo. to 255 EUR/mo.;
  • the national social security allowance for elderly grew from 166 EUR/mo. to 187 EUR/mo.

Support for the poorest population

In 2024, national at-risk-of-poverty rate stood at 22.0 %, meaning that the disposable income of 404 thousand inhabitants was below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold set at EUR 699 per month.

Survey results also point to great income inequality: the disposable income of the poorest inhabitants was 6.7 times lower than that of the richest.

EU-SILC have been used to provide stronger support to the most vulnerable population as of 1 January 2026:

  • the guaranteed minimum income level was increased to 187 EUR/mo. for the first or only person in the household (166 EUR/mo. in 2025) and 131 EUR/mo. for other household members (116 EUR/mo. in 2025);
  • the income threshold of people in need was increased to 425 EUR/mo. for the first or only person in the household (377 EUR/mo. in 2025) and 298 EUR/mo. for other household members (264 EUR/mo. in 2025);
  • the maximum income threshold for low-income households was increased to 680 EUR/mo. for the first or only person in the household (604 EUR/mo. in 2025) and 476 EUR/mo. for other household members (423 EUR/mo. in 2025).

In addition, a decision has been made to increase the minimum wage from EUR 740 to EUR 780.

Reference for minimum income policy

EU-SILC are used as a statistical basis for setting and reviewing the minimum income level in Latvia (the information is available in Latvian only). This indicator is used in the social protection system for income thresholds and support measures, including for social benefits and minimum pensions.