Latvia

Last update: September, 2019

Participation in cultural life as an important indicator for the quality of life, has been discussed in the cultural policy guidelines Creative Latvia 2014-2020. The idea of a minimum standard of cultural services appropriate to a specific level of administrative territorial classification is raised.

The State Culture Capital Foundation Support distributes grants for the participation in cultural life through its project competitions and programmes. Several cities have membership cards or discount cards that offer discounts for cultural events.

Most of the museums have a free entrance day or hours each week. Museums do not require an entrance fee for children under 7 years old and for other disadvantaged groups of society (children from large families, disabled persons etc.). Since 2001, Latvian museums also participate in the international museum action Nuit des Musées. Each year, the number of participating museums, other cultural organisations and the audience increases.

The digitalisation of libraries has been a significant contribution to the accessibility of cultural services in regions.

During the last decades, the number of films produced in Latvia increased. Recently, several projects have been developed in order to promote distribution of national films throughout the country. The National Film Centre of Latvia organises or financially supports several film distribution projects, such as “Film Marathon”, “Films for everyone and everywhere in Latvia” and “Cultural Spot”. In collaboration with the state agency "Cultural Information Systems", the digital platform filmas.lv is developed. It provides a film catalogue, offering films to be watched at home or at public libraries all over Latvia.

Moreover, a project “Film education at schools” has been developed to encourage teachers include Latvian films in learning process. There are long traditions of Art Days and Poetry Days in Latvia – these include series of public events throughout Latvia, which attract large audiences.

Last update: September, 2019

Since 1990, there has been a drastic decline in the number of people participating in cultural life; consumption of culture and arts activities decreased in all fields. There is a certain correlation between the decrease in the number of infrastructures and the consumption of and participation in cultural activities, for example: as the cinema infrastructure collapsed, the number of cinema audiences was sharply reduced.

Data show a general stabilisation and improvement in participation levels starting from the late 1990s. In 2007-2008, the highest attendance rate at cultural events occurred. A decline started again along with the economic crisis in 2009.

Culture consumption and participation studies are carried out every second year (the list of the studies is available here). The latest study was carried out in 2018[1] and offers conclusions based on the quantitative representative survey of permanent residents of Latvia (n=1040, age group 15-74), focus group discussions (n=6), quantitative electronic survey of cultural operators and event organisers (n=651).

The most popular activities of the Latvian population in 2018 are the celebration of community or city festival (69%); watching cultural broadcasts on TV (53%); visiting cultural activities at the local community centre (52%); and visiting heritage sites (52%). About half of the population has been reading books (48%), visited museums (46%), attended performances of the local collectives in their city or municipality (46%) and popular music concerts (46%).

In general, it is observed that cultural activity of the population during the period 2008-2018 has decreased. Most significantly the decrease of those, who watch cultural TV broadcasts on TV (-22%), read books (-17%), attend libraries (-7%). Increase is observed in the visits of amusements parks (+8%), community festivals (+7%), popular music concerts (+6%) and theatres (+5%).

In 2018, less active socio-demographic groups regarding cultural consumption are: 65-74 year olds, people with a lower income, those having only secondary education, Russian speaking and those who live alone. Rural residents are just as active as urban residents when it comes to cultural consumption, although their patterns differ r: rural residents have limited access to professional art events.

About 10% of all respondents take active part in amateur arts, while 28% is active in other cultural activities (filming, making photos, crafts, playing music instrument etc.). Altogether, 55% of the residents are active in different social activities (participate in joint work, donate, do sports etc.) and one third of the residents does not take part in any of such activities.            

Table 4: People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months in Latvia at least once during the year (in % of the population, in 2010, 2014, 2018)

Source(s): Culture consumption and participation studies:

Kultūras patēriņš 2010 (Stratēģiskās analīzes komisija, 2011); Latvijas iedzīvotāju Kultūras patēriņš un līdzdalība Kultūras aktivitātēs 2007-2014: pētījumu dati un statistika (Culturelab, 2014); Kultūras patēriņa un līdzdalības ietekmes pētījums (Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija, SKDS, Culturelab, 2018)

*Due to different formulations, it is not possible to compare data    

Table 5: People who have carried out artistic activities in Latvia in the last 12 months by type of activity, in % of total population, period 2008; 2014; 2018

Source(s): Culture consumption and participation studies:

Kultūras patēriņa pētījums 2008 (Analītisko pētījumu un stratēģiju laboratorija, 2009); Latvijas iedzīvotāju Kultūras patēriņš un līdzdalība Kultūras aktivitātēs 2007-2014: pētījumu dati un statistika (Culturelab, 2014); Kultūras patēriņa un līdzdalības ietekmes pētījums (Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija, SKDS, Culturelab, 2018).

[1] Kultūras patēriņa un līdzdalības ietekmes pētījums (Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija, SKDS, Culturelab, 2018).

Last update: September, 2019

Statistical data (Central Statistical Bureau) show that in 2016 household consumption expenditure for recreation and culture made up 7.6% of total household expenditures. Over the last twenty years, the proportion of expenditure for recreation and culture has increased by more than 3% (in 1996, it was

4.1%). In 2016, average expenditure per household member for recreation and culture was EUR

303.18 per year – it has significantly increased over the last ten years (EUR 197.45 in 2006). Expenditure of rural area population for recreation and culture is lower (EUR 229.72 euro per year in 2016) than those living in the urban areas (EUR 337.92).

The Study “Baltic International Bank Latvian Barometer No. 112” states that 32% of Latvian residents do not spend money on culture (in 2015, 45% did not spend money on culture). 17% of Latvian residents spend on average not more than EUR 7 a month on cultural activities; 17% of residents spend between EUR 15 to 28 per month on culture.

Table 6: Household cultural expenditure by expenditure purpose, 2006; 2016 (Household consumption expenditure average per household member per year (euro))

Source(s): Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia

Last update: August, 2016

Traditional and amateur art is linked to municipal community centres (cultural centres) located throughout Latvia. The cultural policy guidelines Creative Latvia 2014-2020 recognise the important role of participation in the arts and the role of community centres, which is the basic level of cultural provision in each (even a very small) municipality.

Cultural centres are the main support base for cultural processes outside of Riga. The major tasks for cultural centres are as follows: to maintain infrastructure in order to accommodate amateur art activities; to secure availability of professional art in the regions; and to sustain intangible cultural heritage.

The number of cultural centres, similar to the number of other cultural institutions, has been sharply reduced during the transition period in the 1990s. The number of cultural centres has decreased from 891 in 1990 to 556 in 2018 (Central Statistical Bureau), still making a dense network of cultural venues throughout the country. The great majority of the centres is situated outside Riga, providing the basis for cultural activities and cultural participation. A similar network is also created by the municipal public libraries (789 in 2018 according to the data of the Central Statistical Bureau) – institutions that also provide a space for public interaction and communication.

During the last years, numerous cultural centres all over Latvia have been reconstructed and their infrastructure improved, taking advantage of different support schemes, often EU Structural Funds. According to the information of the Ministry of Culture up to 2009, 74% of the cultural centres in Latvia have been reconstructed.

In 2018, cultural centres hosted 66 200 participants in 3 448 amateur art groups, while in other premises only 431 amateur art groups (with 10 700 participants) carried out their activities.

Folk art, or its contemporary interpretation, is the basic activity for a great majority of amateur art groups (especially dance and folk ensembles). Choir singing is another significant aspect of the amateur art sector. Once every 5 years, the best amateur choirs and dance groups are selected to take part in the Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Celebration, which is among the most important cultural events in the country. Along with similar celebrations in Estonia and Lithuania, it is included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. The last festival took place in the summer of 2018, gathering about 43 000 participants. Municipalities own and manage cultural centres. The Latvian National Centre for Culture (under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture) has a coordinating role in regard to the policy development in the fields of intangible cultural heritage, folk art and amateur arts, as well as it is supervising and organising the Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Celebration. It is also organising different events, festivities, and training seminars involving amateur art groups all over the country. To keep the tradition of the Song and Dance Celebration alive and maintain its quality, culture centres and amateur arts groups were partly supported by the state. In 2007 and in 2008, the Ministry of Culture assigned direct support to the salaries of 264 leaders of amateur art groups. In 2009, these subsidies were cancelled due to the economic crisis. Recently, these subsidies are being renewed. Municipalities are responsible for the infrastructure and activities taking place in cultural houses.