One in five (20%) Latvian residents plans to move abroadwithin the next three years. Among people with only a basic education, as many as 36% have expressed this intention. “Those in manual trades are mainly planning to move to Norway (this country leads the surveys) and Germany. Managers and entrepreneurs, meanwhile, favour Spain,” notes Darja Nečepurenko, founder of the accredited language school Daria Pure language school. “The situation among young people is very worrying: one in three (33%) students plans to leave within the next three years. That means they get their education here (and possibly at the state's expense), but want to ‘earn more' abroad.”
The TOP emigration destinations for Latvian residents in 2025 look like this:
1. place: the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain
2. place: Germany
3. place: Sweden
4. place: Denmark
5. place: Russia
“Our study revealed that Latvian residents' desire to move to another country is tied to the goal of earning more. Young people think the same way, although those aged 18 to 29 often link moving with studying at university. Notably, among young people one in four (24%) plans to leave within the next three years, while among those aged 30 to 39 it is one in three (30%),” Darja Nečepurenko emphasises.
“Two years ago, in November 2022, we carried out the same study and compiled a list of the most popular countries Latvian residents wanted to go to. Back then the ranking was as follows:
1. Germany – 14%,
2. Spain – 11%,
3. Norway – 9%,
4. Sweden – 7%,
5. Russia – 7%.
“At the time we were surprised that Great Britain did not make the ranking – a country with a very strong Latvian diaspora – but now it is back and has even become the leader. This year Spain and Norway are more popular. Sweden and Russia have also held on to their positions,” Darja adds.
The study shows that it is ‘blue collar' workers, that is, manual labourers, who are having the hardest time in Latvia. Among those with a basic education, 36% want to go abroad to earn money within the next three years, while among those with a secondary education the figure is 23%. By comparison, only 15% of Latvian residents with a higher education plan to move. Among unskilled workers, meanwhile, one in five plans to seek a better life abroad.
The idea of emigrating is just as popular among skilled workers and the self-employed – 21% of each want to leave in the coming years. “Interestingly, the self-employed mainly want to move to Norway and Germany, while managers, one in five of whom plans to leave, most often choose Spain,” Darja says.
The language school's founder draws attention to the fact that a very dangerous situation is developing among young people: “Of those currently studying, one in three (33%) plans to leave in the coming years. In other words, they get their education here (and very likely at public expense). But they want to earn more abroad.” Interestingly, young people most often want to emigrate to Great Britain and Denmark, and their reasons for leaving are both continuing their studies and the chance to earn more. And to Spain too, of course, because everyone always wants more sunshine and good weather.
Denmark is a popular emigration destination for students, because European residents can study there free of charge and Danish universities offer countless programmes in English. “But few people know that Norway also allows you to obtain higher and vocational qualifications free of charge. Many who have studied there stay on to live in Norway and earn very well, because Norwegians naturally place great trust in specialists who have been educated at local universities. Incidentally, there are also many well-funded exchange programmes, doctoral courses and research programmes there. I graduated from a university in Norway myself, so it saddens me that young people in Latvia know so little about the opportunities to study and upgrade their qualifications in that country, and I want to put that right by offering free consultations about life and study in Norway,” explains the founder of Daria Pure language school.
To inform young people about the various opportunities that knowledge of foreign languages opens up, as well as about modern, flexible teaching methods, the language school accredited by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills will take part in the annual international exhibition Skola 2025, which will be held at the Ķīpsala exhibition hall on 21–23 February this year.
About Daria Pure language school
The language school Daria Pure language school was founded in 2013 in Oslo, Norway. In 2018 the school introduced a fully digitalised teaching model, offering a wide range of courses and intensive courses in Norwegian and English. In 2024 it received official accreditation from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The school employs a team of experienced teachers led by Darja Nečepurenko, author of the bestselling Norwegian textbook “Først i norsk”, founder of the school and a teacher with 20 years' experience. Darja obtained her higher education in Norway and also holds a diploma in Norwegian culture and language. Lessons are taught in Latvian and Russian.