In the third quarter of this year, the average gross monthly wage in Latvia was 1,835 euros, and compared to the third quarter of 2024, the average monthly pay increased by 132 euros or by 7.8%.
According to data from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), the pay per hour worked before taxes rose to EUR 12.12 – an increase of 4.6%.
In the third quarter, compared to the second quarter of 2025, the average gross monthly wage increased by 1.5%, while hourly pay decreased by 4.5%. A drop in hourly wages alongside an increase in the average monthly wage is usually explained by the fact that the number of hours worked grows faster than the total wage fund, as the third quarter had seven more working days than the second.
The average net wage was EUR 1,361, or 74.1% of the gross wage, and increased by 10.5% YoY, outpacing both consumer price growth and wage growth before tax. Real net wage growth, taking inflation into account, was 6.3%.
The gross wage median for full-time work in the third quarter of 2025 was EUR 1,488.
Compared to the third quarter of 2024 (EUR 1,385), it increased by EUR 103 or by 7.5%. The median wage after taxes (net) in the third quarter of this year was EUR 1,135, rising by 11.7%.
According to the CSP, in the third quarter of 2025 the average wage in the private sector increased by one%age point faster than in the public sector – by 8.1% and 7.1%, respectively.
In the third quarter, the average gross wage in the private sector was EUR 1,821, while in the public sector it was EUR 62 higher – EUR 1,883.
CSP explains that changes in average wages are influenced not only by wage increases or decreases for employees, but also by labour demand and supply trends and structural changes in the labour market.
The combined effect of these factors is reflected in changes to the wage fund and the number of full-time equivalent employees used for calculating the average wage.
In the third quarter of 2025, the calculated wage fund increased by 6.9% or EUR 259 million compared to the same period a year earlier, while the number of paid employees, recalculated to full-time equivalents, decreased by 6,300 or 0.8%.
In the third quarter, compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, wages increased most rapidly in the “other services” sector – which includes activities of community, public and other organisations, repair of household goods and personal items, dry cleaning, hairdressing, beauty services, funeral services and other activities – by 15.1%.
Wages also rose significantly in education (+13.4%), real estate activities (+12.3%), and mining and quarrying (+11.4%).
In the third quarter of this year, the highest average monthly wages for full-time work were recorded in financial and insurance activities (EUR 3,022), information and communication (EUR 2,866), professional, scientific and technical services (EUR 2,334), energy (EUR 2,257), mining and quarrying (EUR 2,178), public administration (EUR 2,141), water supply, sewage and waste management (EUR 1,827), health and social care (EUR 1,879).
The lowest average monthly wage for full-time work was in the accommodation and food service sector – EUR 1,182 before taxes.
The highest average gross wage was in the Riga region – EUR 2,008, while the lowest was in Latgale (EUR 1,329). The largest wage gap between regions was between Riga and Latgale – 33.8%.
Gross pay per hour worked in the third quarter of 2025 was EUR 12.12, increasing by 4.6% over the year (in the third quarter of 2024 – EUR 11.59).
Labour costs per hour – which include both wages and other employer expenses related to labour – increased over the year from EUR 14.57 to EUR 15.20 or by 4.4%. This was driven by a 6.7% increase in total labour costs and a 2.2% increase in hours worked. (BNN)