Latvian - Worldwide Distribution

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Picture Writing with inkSpread of the Latvian languageLatvian has been the official language of Latvia since 1988 and belongs to the eastern group of Baltic languages. It is closely related to Lithuanian, but less closely related to the Slavic and other Baltic languages.

Within Latvia, around 1.1 million inhabitants speak the language. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are around 2 million speakers - including around 1.7 million native speakers. Latvian is a recognized minority language in Estonia. There are also smaller Latvian communities in Russia, the USA, Canada and Australia.

Development of the Latvian language

The origins of Latvian date back to the first millennium, when the Baltic tribes settled in the region that is now Latvia. Latvian has been written since the 16th century, when the Latin alphabet was introduced. The first known written records in Latvian are religious texts written by German missionaries during the Reformation.

During the long periods of German and later Soviet rule, Latvian was often subject to political restrictions that limited its use in public and official usage. Despite this suppression, the language experienced a revival in the 19th century, during the Latvian National Awakening. During this period, the grammar was standardized and the vocabulary expanded.

Distribution Latvian► Interactive map

CountryOfficial languageDistributionTotal
Latviayes56.3 %1,051,000
Åland Islandsno1.0 %400
Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers — not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Latvian as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.

Official language, national language or lingua franca: explanation of frequently used terms🔎︎

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