10 answers, 4 from Latvia's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
The average result in the optimal-level centralised mathematics exam for secondary school leavers was 42.4% in 2026, against 58.9% in Latvian and 67.3% in English, according to the State Education Development Agency (VIAA). In grade 9 the average was 54.8% in mathematics and 56.2% in Latvian. Of 24 centralised exams, 16 had an average above 50%.
Results are percentages of the maximum score. In 2026 secondary students had to sit a science exam for the first time, and the pass threshold for grade 9 rose from 10% to 15%; for secondary exams it is 20%.
There were 76.4 thousand students in tertiary education in Latvia in the 2025/26 academic year, 2.0% more than the year before, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. 29.8 thousand were new entrants, of whom 57.5% were women.
38.5% of entrants chose social sciences, business and law. 40.7% of new entrants had tuition paid from state or local government budgets, and the rest paid fees. Tertiary education here includes colleges offering short-cycle programmes as well as universities.
183.7 thousand pupils were enrolled in basic (lower secondary) education programmes in Latvia in the 2025/26 school year and 40.6 thousand in upper secondary programmes, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. 86.3 thousand children were in pre-school education, 4.5% fewer than a year earlier.
In 2026, 20.3 thousand pupils completed basic education, of whom 60.1% went on to secondary school and 33.3% to vocational schools. Of 11.9 thousand upper secondary graduates, 56.2% continued to higher education or college.
8.8% of people aged 18 to 24 in Latvia had at most lower secondary education and were not in education or training in 2025, up from 7.9% in 2024, according to Eurostat. The EU average was 9.1%.
44.7% of people aged 25 to 34 had completed tertiary education in 2025, close to the EU figure of 44.8%, according to Eurostat's educational attainment data. Both indicators come from the Labour Force Survey, so small year-to-year changes may be within sampling error.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, net primary school enrolment in Latvia was 96.3% in 2017. The peak was 97.3% in 2011 and the low 95.8% in 2014. It is 18th highest of 45 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 95.7%. World rank, highest first: 41st of 134.
In 2024, gross secondary school enrolment in Latvia was 101.3%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2013, at 114.8%; its low point was 2009, at 99.4%. It is 17th highest of 34 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 101.1%. Of 100 countries with 2024 data, 30th highest.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts gross tertiary enrolment in Latvia at 82.9% in 2024. The peak was 94.9% in 2019 and the low 66.6% in 2012. It is 9th highest of 34 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 71.1%. Of 90 countries with 2024 data, 13th highest.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Latvia at 4.3% of GDP in 2022. That is the lowest since at least 2006. Europe & Central Asia median: 4.5% of GDP; Latvia is 25th highest of 45. Worldwide: 71st of 155.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the number of primary pupils per teacher in Latvia at 12 in 2017. The peak was 12 in 2005 and the low 10 in 2009. Europe & Central Asia median: 13; Latvia is 27th highest of 39. Of 130 countries with 2017 data, 112th highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the primary completion rate in Latvia was 98.1% in 2024. The peak was 102.7% in 2006 and the low 97.6% in 2023. It is 17th highest of 30 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 98.2%. World rank, highest first: 39th of 104.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error