Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Latvia

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	There is no official statistical definition of homelessness in Latvia.
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	5 971 individuals, representing 0.32% of the total population (2024)
	17% are women, 83% are men
	Flow count, based on the Reports on Social Services and Social Assistance
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) Not included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Latvia. However, municipalities are obliged to collect data on provided social services, including for services provided by shelters.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	There is no national homelessness strategy in Latvia. Other (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategies addressing homelessness: strategy Housing Affordability Guidelines for 2023‑2027 (Ministry of Economics), Social Protection and Labour Market Policy Guidelines for 2021‑2027 (Ministry of Welfare).
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Reports on Social Services and Social Assistance: Shelters report information on the number of clients using their services (Table 6.1)

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

	Statistical definition
Homelessness	No official statistical definition of homelessness in Latvia.

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2017	6 877	0.35%	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
2022	5 997	0.32%	Not included	5 997	Included under ETHOS 2	Not included	Not included	Not included
2024	5 971	0.32%	Not included	5 971	Included under ETHOS 2	Not included	Not included	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Data are comparable across years: Yes Included in headline estimate: Children: Yes Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Ministry of Welfare (2024), Reports on Social Services and Social Assistance.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2024

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged 15‑29)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	5 971	4 978	993	NA	NA	NA
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	0.32%	83.40%	16.60%	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	Not included	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	5 971	4 978	993	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	Not included	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	Not included	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	Not included	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	Not included	Not included	Not included	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Included in headline estimate: Children: Yes Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: No

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive. The gender breakdown refers to 2024.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Ministry of Welfare (2024), Reports on Social Services and Social Assistance.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Latvia. However, municipalities are obliged to collect data on provided social services, including for services provided by shelters.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	There is no national homelessness strategy in Latvia. Other (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategy addressing homelessness: strategy Housing Affordability Guidelines for 2023‑2027 (Ministry of Economics), Social Protection and Labour Market Policy Guidelines for 2021‑2027 (Ministry of Welfare).
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	No.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Reports on Social Services and Social Assistance
Description Every time a person receives a shelter service, information about them is entered into the municipal social services registration database by the shelter’s social worker. The Ministry of Welfare collects the data provided by municipalities including the number of persons who have received the shelter service. The reference period begins and ends in June. Information is collected on all people who have received a shelter service, which does not necessarily indicate that a person is experiencing homelessness.
Type of count generated Flow (period)	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Ministry of Welfare	Source(s) of information Shelter services report information to the Ministry of Welfare directly through the central database.
Scope National level	Depth of data Simple enumeration
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Gada dati | Labklājības ministrija (lm.gov.lv)

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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