More than half of that amount – 52.8 % (EUR 16.0 billion) – is attributable to the capital, Rīga, which was followed by Pierīga (the area immediately around the capital) with another 16.1 % (EUR 4.9 billion), accounting for more than two thirds (68.9 %) of the GDP of Latvia.
According to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) data on GDP by regions, the share was followed by Kurzeme with 9.2 % (EUR 2.8 billion), Zemgale with 8.3 % (EUR 2.5 billion), Latgale with 6.9 % (EUR 2.1 billion) and Vidzeme with 6.6 % (EUR 2 billion).
"Given that regions differ in size and population, it is useful to compare statistical regions in terms of their productivity or GDP per capita. The highest GDP per capita is in Riga (EUR 25.9 thousand), but the lowest – in Latgale region (EUR 8.1 thousand). Thus productivity in Riga is 3.2 times larger than in Latgale. In turn, GDP per capita in Pierīga is EUR 13 thousand, in Kurzeme – EUR 11.6 thousand, in Vidzeme – EUR 11.1 thousand, in Zemgale – EUR 10.8 thousand," said the CSB.
Compared to 2019, in 2020 the GDP grew the fastest in Zemgale region – by 3.7 % (EUR 88.4 million), but reduced the fastest in Pierīga – by 4.6 % (EUR 233.5 million).
In 2020, among the large cities, the largest GDP per capita – EUR 25.9 thousand – was in the capital. Punching well above its weight in second place was the northern city of Valmiera with EUR 19.0 thousand, and in third place was the western metropolis of Liepāja with EUR 14.3 thousand. These were followed by Rēzekne with EUR 12.6 thousand, Jelgava with EUR 12.3 thousand, Jēkabpils with EUR 11.7 thousand, Ventspils with EUR 10.6 thousand, Daugavpils with EUR 9.5 thousand and Jūrmala with EUR 9.3 thousand per capita.
