Crime in Latvia is relatively low by global standards, especially compared to 2008, when the country was named the "crime capital of Europe" by Forbes. The number of crimes committed per 100,000 people in Latvia was 154.7 as of 2018. The homicide rate in Latvia was 4.9 per 100,000 people in 2020, a sharp drop from 10 cases per 100,000 people in 2000, and it has been steadily decreasing. Although Latvia's homicide rate remains high by European Union standards, it is below the 2019 global average of 6.2 per 100,000. The United States Department of State has assessed Latvia's security rating as medium, indicating a moderate crime rate. In recent years, crime rates have seen fluctuations; for instance, the return of citizens stranded abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with a temporary rise in offenses. According to Interpol, Latvia's geographic positioning makes it a transit area for regional and organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking, and smuggling. Data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia indicates that a third of all women in Latvia have experienced some form of sexual violence or rape, while men are more frequently subjected to violence outside the family setting.
Crime rates increased significantly in Latvia following the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union. The transition from a planned economy to a free market economy caused widespread economic uncertainty, contributing to this rise. The Latvian government legally defines a crime as "an action endangering society and entailing criminal punishment, whether committed intentionally or through negligence". Historically, crimes against humanity were committed on Latvian soil by foreign powers, specifically the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, during their respective occupations starting in 1940 and 1941.
Human trafficking
Latvia serves as a source and destination country for individuals trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Latvian women have been trafficked to countries such as Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom for commercial sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking of Latvian women and teenage girls for the same purpose also occurs. One of the most prominent domestic cases involving sexual exploitation was the Logos Centrs pedophilia case, uncovered in 1999, which involved a catalog of 3,000 minors. Additionally, men and women from Latvia have been trafficked to the United Kingdom for forced labor. Documented cases also indicate Latvia has been a destination country for victims from Thailand,"Latvia". Trafficking in Persons Report 2008. U.S. Department of State (June 4, 2008). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. and there is a growing risk of trafficking targeting individuals from Ukraine, particularly following the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Between 2021 and 2023, 111 victims of human trafficking were identified by the Latvian government; while 16 originated from foreign nations, the vast majority were Latvian nationals.
According to the United States Department of State, the Government of Latvia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it has made significant efforts to do so. The government has expanded victim assistance programs by increasing access to state-funded protection and rehabilitation services. Law enforcement agencies have also increased efforts to investigate forced labor offenses. Latvia ratified the UN Trafficking Protocol in May 2004.United Nations Treaty Collection website, Chapter XVIII Penal Matters section, Section 12a, retrieved August 19, 2024
Prevention measures implemented by the Latvian government include initiatives targeting sex tourism. The Ministry of Family and Children's Affairs provides specialized training for professionals working with vulnerable populations to help identify trafficking risks. However, the Latvian government reported no active measures to reduce the demand for prostitution .
Sections 154-1 and 154-2 of the Criminal Code of Latvia prohibit all forms of human trafficking, prescribing penalties ranging from three to 15 years of imprisonment. These penalties are comparable with those of other severe crimes, such as rape. The government also utilizes non-trafficking-related statutes to prosecute offenders. According to U.S. State Department data from 2008, the government was investigating two potential labor trafficking cases, though no formal convictions for forced labor had been made at that time.
The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed Latvia on the "Tier 2 Watchlist" in 2017. The country was upgraded to Tier 2 in 2023,US Government website, Trafficking in Persons Report 2023 a ranking it maintained into 2024. In 2023, the Organized Crime Index assigned Latvia a score of 5 out of 10 for human trafficking, noting that backlogs in the judicial system hampered anti-trafficking efforts.Organised Crime Index website, Latvia: 2023 A 2022 GRETA report noted that while trafficking historical trends involved moving Latvian citizens abroad, since 2019 there has been a rise in foreign nationals being trafficked into Latvia, primarily for forced labor.Council of Europe website, GRETA publishes its second report on Latvia, article dated February 21, 2022
Protection The Ministry of Welfare allocated $14,500 to train 271 social workers, improving the administration of victim assistance and rehabilitation services. While the government allocated $98,000 for victim assistance in 2007, actual spending was $23,000—an increase from the $10,000 spent in 2006. Foreign victims are offered legal alternatives to deportation; those who assist law enforcement can apply for temporary residency and work permits. In June 2007, the government established a 30-day "reflection period" allowing non-Latvian victims and their dependent children to access state-funded assistance while deciding whether to cooperate with law enforcement. State authorities and two NGOs are authorized to clear victims for state aid, while others receive support from independently funded NGOs. Training is also provided to law enforcement officers and specialists in orphan courts to aid victim identification. U.S. State Department reports note that the government does not penalize victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
Robbery The robbery rate in Latvia stood at 27.7 cases per 100,000 people in 2018, down from 108.3 per 100,000 in 2004. Between 2018 and 2020, at least 10 commercial production and trading warehouses were targeted by robbers.
Notable recent cases include an armed robbery at a watch store in Riga Old Town on April 29, 2025, and infrastructural thefts in Kurzeme where €17,000 worth of bridge railings were stolen on May 29, 2025. +Robbery rate in Latvia per 100,000 people (2003-2015, 2017)2009201020112012201320142015201772.0051.0051.0046.0046.0041.0040.0031.00
Homicide A 2020 study conducted by Eurostat revealed that the three Baltic states recorded the highest homicide rates in the European Union that year, with Latvia leading at 4.9 per 100,000 people, followed by Lithuania (3.5) and Estonia (2.8). Latvia also recorded the highest proportion of female homicide victims among EU nations at 60%, compared to the EU average of 37%. In 2023, Latvia recorded 79 intentional homicides; while lower than the peak annual averages of 100 recorded between 2016 and 2018, this figure remains higher than regional neighbors like Finland, Greece, and Slovakia.
In 2024, 67 individuals were killed; 42 cases were classified as homicides, while the remaining 25 were classified as intentional grievous bodily harm resulting in death. Data from the Public Broadcasting of Latvia indicates that the majority of both victims (72%) and perpetrators in these violent crimes are male.
Drug trafficking and usage According to Euronews, Latvia, along with Italy and the United Kingdom, ranks among the highest in Europe for serious drug usage; 9.1% of Latvian adults are reported to regularly use psychoactive substances such as opioids, cocaine, and amphetamines. The most common illicit substance used in Latvia is cannabis, primarily consumed by young adults aged 15–34, particularly males. However, overall drug consumption has seen an upward trend expanding into demographics in their 30s and 40s. Cocaine and ecstasy are also frequently used. Geographically, Latvia serves as a transit hub for the heroin trade, which is primarily driven by regional organized crime syndicates. Drug usage escalated sharply following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, reaching levels comparable to Western Europe by 2002.
During the 1970s and 1980s, illicit substances were predominantly manufactured in small-scale domestic environments. From the 1990s onward, organized criminal networks transitioned into large-scale illicit manufacturing of synthetic substances, including LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamines.
Corruption Corruption remains a challenge within the country. The Group of States against Corruption noted in a 2019 report that Latvia needed more effective measures to achieve meaningful reductions in corruption. The specialized anti-corruption agency tasked with enforcement is the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB). High-profile enforcement actions include the detention of former Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmārs Rimšēvičs on charges of accepting a €500,000 bribe from Trasta Komercbanka. External criminal entities, particularly from Russia, have also historically utilized regional financial institutions for money laundering schemes. To improve transparency, the Saeima enacted a comprehensive whistleblowing law on January 20, 2022, designed to protect individuals who report institutional misconduct and ensure safe reporting channels.
The structural influence of private interests in illegal political funding has historically hindered political anti-corruption initiatives. According to Transparency International's 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, 68% of surveyed households viewed political parties as highly corrupt, marking them as the least-trusted public institutions in the country. At the time, 55% felt corruption levels were unchanged, and 67% judged state anti-corruption campaigns to be ineffective. In Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Latvia scored 60 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). This score ranked Latvia 37th out of 182 countries assessed. For regional context within Western Europe and the European Union, the highest score recorded was 89, the regional average was 64, and the lowest score was 40. Globally, the top score was 89, the international average was 42, and the lowest score recorded was 9.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB; ) was formally established in October 2002 following the legislative passage of the foundational KNAB law on April 18, 2002.
Police corruption
Organized crime