Latvia
Latvia was the world’s leading producer of peat
Pictured: peat
Statistics and information on the mining industry in Latvia.
Overview
In 2024, Latvia was the world’s leading producer of peat, accounting for 15% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included cement, sand and gravel, and stone. Production of mineral commodities contributed about 2.3% to Latvia’s gross domestic product (GDP). Specifically, in 2024, mining and quarrying contributed 0.49%. In 2023, the latest year for which detailed data were available, the manufacture of metals and metal products contributed 1.09% to GDP and the manufacture of nonmetallic mineral commodities, 0.69%. Latvia was the world’s leading exporter of peat; in 2024, the country exported about 2.4 million metric tons of peat products to 118 countries, of which Germany and China received the largest amounts. Germany received about 360,000 tons (t), or 15% of peat exports by quantity, and China, about 330,000 t, or 14% of peat exports. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Latvia is provided by the Law on Subterranean Depths, which went into effect in June 1996.
The State Environmental Service of the Republic of Latvia, a state institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, oversees the mineral sector. Most mineral commodities were produced by private companies, both domestic and foreign owned. About 2.7 Mt of horticultural peat were extracted in Latvia in 2024, compared with about 2.5 Mt in 2023, or an 8% increase. While peat extraction was expected to continue in Latvia, peat for energy use was expected to be phased out by 2030, and research and development into technologies reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in the peat industry was ongoing.
In 2024, Latvia was the world’s leading producer of peat, accounting for 15% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included cement, sand and gravel, and stone. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). Production of mineral commodities contributed about 2.3% to Latvia’s gross domestic product (GDP). Specifically, in 2024, mining and quarrying contributed 0.49%. Specifically, in 2024, mining and quarrying contributed 0.49%. In 2023, the latest year for which detailed data were available, the manufacture of metals and metal products contributed 1.09% to GDP and the manufacture of nonmetallic mineral commodities, 0.69%. Latvia was the world’s largest exporter of peat; in 2024, the country exported about 2.4 million metric tons (Mt) of peat products to 118 countries, of which Germany and China received the largest amounts. Germany received about 360,000 tons (t), or 15% of peat exports by weight, and China, about 330,000 t, or 14% of peat exports (Kovalevskis, 2024, p. 5; Latvian Peat Association, 2025; Brioche, 2026; Eurostat, 2026a, b).
The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Latvia is provided by the Law on Subterranean Depths, which went into effect in June 1996. The State Environmental Service of the Republic of Latvia, a state institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, oversees the mineral sector. Most mineral commodities were produced by private companies, both domestic and foreign owned. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports — International — Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ… (Likumi, 2025).
Commodity Review
Peat.—About 2.7 Mt of peat for horticultural use was extracted in Latvia in 2024, compared with about 2.5 Mt in 2023, an 8% increase. Latvia’s National Energy and Climate Plan 2021–2030 affected the peat industry in 2024. After discussions between Latvian Peat Association and Government representatives, the Plan was adopted with no requirement to reduce peat extraction volumes or areas until 2030 for horticultural use. However, Latvia was expected to no longer produce and use peat for energy after 2030. The European Union’s Just Transition Fund will provide EUR184 million to Latvia, owing to the end of peat for energy use in Latvia in 2030. These funds are expected to be allocated for projects which would either replace peat harvesting in the region’s economy or reduce the peat sector’s carbon intensity. One end use of the funds was expected to be research and development into technologies reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in the peat industry (Krigere, 2024, p. 11–13).
Production table
(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)
| Commodity | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement, hydraulic | 1,100,000e | 1,200,000e | 1,250,000e | 1,150,000e | 1,100,000e |
| Peat, horticultural use | 2,068,675 | 2,624,568 | 2,448,030 | 2,508,120 | 2,699,226 |
| Sand and gravel, construction, gravel, including shingle and flint | 8,452,453 | 6,342,583 | 6,150,679 | 4,946,911 | 3,815,064 |
| Sand and gravel, construction, sand | 3,100,000e | 3,700,000e | 4,300,000e | 2,900,000e | 2,700,000e |
| Sand and gravel, industrial, sand, silica | 50,000e | 60,000e | 65,000e | 45,000e | 41,000e |
| Steel products, rolled, bars | 0e | 0e | 42,450 | 48,507 | 19,777 |
| Stone, crushed, aggregate | 1,935,975 | 4,250,016 | 2,760,645 | 2,377,073 | 2,447,628 |
| Stone, crushed, dolomite, crude, excluding calcined, crushed dolomite aggregate | 1,314,333 | 1,376,586 | 1,436,420 | 1,239,279 | 1,012,119 |
References Cited
- Brioche, A.S., 2026, Peat: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 138–139.
- Eurostat, 2026a, Gross domestic product (GDP) and main components (output, expenditure and income): Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Eurostat. (Accessed March 25, 2026, at https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_gdp__custom_1975…)
- Eurostat, 2026b, Gross value added and income by detailed industry (NACE Rev.2): Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Eurostat. (Accessed March 25, 2026, at https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_a64__custom_1975….)
- Kovaleskis, Kristaps, 2024, Evaluation of the socioeconomic impact of the peat industry in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia: Birstonas, Lithuania, Baltic Peat Producers Forum, September 19, 14 p. (Accessed July 8, 2025, at https://www.balticpeatproducersforum.eu/_files/ugd/be4bcd_ef232a1b718c4….)
- Krigere, Ingrida, 2024, Peat today and tomorrow: Birstonas, Lithuania, Baltic Peat Producers Forum, September 19, 27 p. (Accessed July 14, 2025, at https://www.balticpeatproducersforum.eu/_files/ugd/be4bcd_35e489950de34….)
- Latvian Peat Association, 2025, Export and import of Latvia: Riga, Latvia, Latvijas Kudra asociacija [Latvian Peat Association]. (Accessed July 8, 2025, at https://www.latvijaskudra.lv/en/statistika/latvijas_eksports_un_imports/.)
- Likumi, 2025, Law on Subterranean Depths: Riga, Latvia, Legal Acts of the Republic of Latvia, Likumi, April 3. (Accessed March 24, 2026, at https://likumi.lv/ta/en/id/40249-law-on-subterranean-depths.)
Publications
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Tables: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 | 2020-21 Tables-only release | 2022 Tables-only release