Retail sales in Latvia rose by 6.1% year-on-year in January 2026, accelerating from an upwardly revised 1.1% increase in December. This was the strongest annual growth since November 2022.
The overall improvement was driven by faster growth in several categories: sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores jumped 11.4% (vs 0.6% in December), information and communication equipment rose 12.7% (vs 7.3%), other household equipment advanced 8.8% (vs 0.9%), and other goods increased 11.1% (vs 2.9%).
In addition, trade in cultural and recreation goods in specialized stores rebounded sharply, surging 30.4% after a 9% decline in December. The contraction in sales of food, beverages, and tobacco also eased, with volumes down 11.9% compared with a 14.1% drop previously.
By contrast, sales weakened in non-specialized stores, slipping 0.8% after a 1.3% increase in December, and in sales via stalls and markets, which fell 4.4% after a 1.9% rise.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales increased by 2.7%, rebounding from a downwardly revised 0.7% decline in the prior month.
