The average salary before taxes in Latvia in the first quarter of 2026 reached 1831 euros, increasing by 4.2% over the year. At the same time, the difference between regions remains significant: residents of the Riga region earn on average more than 700 euros per month more than residents of Latgale.
Salaries in Latvia continue to grow, but the pace of growth is becoming more moderate, reports LETA.
According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau, in the first quarter of 2026, the average gross salary for a full-time position was 1831 euros per month. Compared to the same period last year, this is an increase of 73 euros, or 4.2%.
After taxes, the average income of employees reached 1364 euros per month.
The growth of net salary was 4.5%, and taking inflation into account, real incomes increased by 1.6%.
At the same time, statisticians point out another indicator — the median salary, which better reflects the income of a typical worker. The median gross salary was 1457 euros, and after taxes — 1128 euros.
This means that half of the working residents of Latvia earn less than this amount, while half earn more.
It is important to note that the average salary is often significantly higher than the median due to the influence of high incomes in certain sectors. Therefore, the median figure is considered to be closer to the real picture of the incomes of the majority of the population.
The highest salaries are traditionally found in the financial sector. On average, employees in the banking and insurance industry earned 3400 euros before taxes.
In second place are information technology and telecommunications — 3240 euros per month. Other high-paying sectors include energy, professional services, and public administration.
The lowest salaries are still recorded in the hospitality and catering industries, where the average earnings amounted to 1175 euros before taxes.
Among the sectors, the fastest salary growth was observed in administrative services and support — by 7.8%. A noticeable increase was also seen in water supply and waste management, energy, and education.
There remains a significant difference between the regions of the country. In the Riga region, the average salary reached 2011 euros per month. In Latgale, this figure was 1287 euros. Thus, the gap between the richest and the poorest region of the country is about 36%.
Interestingly, compared to the end of last year, the average salary in the country has slightly decreased — by 1.6%. This is mainly due to a reduction in payments in the public sector after traditionally higher payments at the end of the year.
In the private sector, on the contrary, a slight increase in earnings was recorded over the quarter.
According to the CSB, salary changes depend not only on salary increases but also on the labor market situation, demand for workers, and the employment structure in various sectors of the economy.
Since the beginning of 2026, the minimum wage in Latvia is 780 euros per month, and the non-taxable minimum has been increased to 550 euros.
Despite the ongoing growth of incomes, statistics show that the differences between professions and regions of the country remain quite significant.
