Important economic organizations in Latvia include the Latvian Chamber of Commerce, an organization that promotes trade and commerce with its Baltic neighbors, Europe, and The Russian Federation. There are five business and trade organizations including: the Latvia International Commerce Center, Latvian Small Business Association, and the World Latvian Business-men's Association. The largest trade union in Latvia is the umbrella organization of the Association of Free Trade Unions, founded in 1990.

The Latvian Academy of Sciences promotes public interest and education for all branches of science. Some medical fields have professional associations. There are also several environmental protection and preservation organizations.

National youth organizations include the Student Council of the University of Latvia, United Nations Student Association of Latvia, YMCA-YWCA of Latvia, and the Scout and Guide Central Organization of Latvia. National women's organizations include the Women's National League of Latvia and the Latvian Association of University Women.

The modern Latvian educational system is based on the reforms introduced in 1991. Compulsory education lasts for nine years beginning at the age of seven. Primary education lasts four years, and is followed by eight years of secondary education in general schools, specialized high schools, and trade schools. In 1997, there were 146,653 students in 1,074 primary schools, with 10,833 teachers. In the same year, secondary schools enrolled 239,318 students and employed 29,852 teachers. The pupil-teacher ratio at the primary level was 15 to 1 in 1999. In the same year, 93% of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school, while 84% of those eligible attended secondary school.

Entrance examinations are a prerequisite for admission into universities. Higher education is offered by both private and public institutions. The state offers free higher education in some areas of specialized study. Latvia has two major universities: the University of Latvia and the Riga Technical University. Higher education is also offered in various other academies. In 1997, there were 56,187 students enrolled in institutions of higher education; teaching staff totaled 4,486. Illiteracy in Latvia is very low. For the year 2000, adult illiteracy was estimated at 0.3% (males, 0.2%; females, 0.4%). As of 1999, public expenditure on education was estimated at 6.8% of GDP.

In 1940, the libraries of Latvia were nationalized and placed under state control. For the next 50 years the library system was poorly maintained. As of 2000, those libraries that remain open are overcrowded and in poor physical condition. In 1997, the country counted 998 public libraries housing 14.9 million volumes. In the 1990s, the Latvian government authorized the construction of a new National Library to be designed by the American architect G. Birkerts. The National Library in Riga holds 2.1 million volumes as it awaits its new home. The Latvian Academic Library in Riga holds 3.1 million volumes and the University of Latvia holds 1.7 million.

The larger museums are located in Riga, including the State Museum of Fine Arts, the History Museum of Latvia, and the Museum of Foreign Art. In 1990, Bauska Castle was converted into an historic museum. The Bauska Art Museum holds over 8,000 works of art by Russian and Western European artists. With the end of the Soviet era, a number of new museums devoted to Latvian culture and history opened in the 1990s, including museums of architecture, photography, telecommunications, Jewish life in Latvia, and a museum chronicling 50 years of Soviet occupation.

International communications links are via leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and the Finnish cellular network. In 2000, there were 734,693 main line telephones and 401,263 mobile cellular phones. At the end of that year, there were about 19,000 people on a waiting list to receive a phone line, with the wait being about three years. The Committee for Television and Radio controls broadcasting. Domestic and international programming in Latvian, Russian, Swedish, English, and German is broadcast by Latvian Radio. In 1998, there were 8 AM and 56 FM stations. Latvian State Television broadcasts on two channels, and there are several independent television stations with daily broadcasts. Cable and satellite services are available, and foreign broadcasts can also be seen. In 1995, there were 44 television stations. In 2000, there were about 695 radios and 789 television sets for every 1,000 people. About 77 of every 1,000 people subscribed to cable television. The same year, there were about 140 personal computers in use for every 1,000 people. In 2001, there were 41 Internet service providers serving 310,000 users.

Latvia publishes many newspapers, periodicals, and books, in both Latvian and Russian. The most widely read newspapers (with 2002 circulations) are Diena ( The Day , 110,000), Sovietskaya Latviya ( Soviet Latvia, 71,300), SM Segodna ( a Russian language daily, 65,000 ), and Riga Balss ( The Voice, 56,800). Foreign language newspapers the weekly Baltic Times in English.

The constitution provides for free speech and a free press, and the government is said to respect these rights in practice. A 1991 Press Law prohibits censorship of the press or other mass media.

Primary care is provided at large urban health centers, hospital and walk-in emergency facilities, individual and group private practices, rural clinics staffed by midwives and physicians' assistants (which numbered 355 in 1999), and workplace clinics run by large private employers and the military. As of 1999, total health care expenditure was estimated at 6.7% of GDP. As of 1999, there were an estimated 2.8 physicians and 10.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In the same year, Latvia had 151 hospitals, of which 31 were located in Riga (including all specialized hospitals). Hospital beds totaled 21,592.

As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at 8.3 and 14.7 per 1,000 people respectively. Life expectancy in 2000 was 70 years and the infant mortality rate was 10 per 1,000 live births. The total fertility rate in 2000 was1.2 per woman during childbearing years. In 1999, immunization rates for one-year-olds were as follows: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 95%; and measles, 97%. Measles, neonatal tetanus and polio had been almost completely eradicated by 1994–95.

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in Latvia, with a rate of nearly 400 per 1,000 people over age 65. There were 23,329 deaths due to cardiovascular disease in 1994. About 67% of men and 12% of women smoked in 1993. Among teenagers aged 15, 15% smoked every day in 1993–1994. As of 2002, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated at 1,792. HIV prevalence was 0.11 per 100 adults.

In the 1990s 165,000 families (one out of five) were registered for new housing. Approximately 200,000 people lived in the 8% of existing housing stock that was in substandard condition. But the government has made some progress in reforms for the housing sector. In 1993, 54% of housing was owned by state and municipalities. In 1999 the majority of property (70%) was privately owned. The government anticipates that by the end of the privatization process about 80% of housing will be private property, while municipalities will maintain only 20% of the housing as low-cost rental or social houses.

Since 1996, the government has signed several agreements with international organizations for funds to improve housing projects. In 2000, the Housing Crediting Program was initiated to promote a new mortgage system.

The government began introducing economic reforms in 1990 to effect the transition to a market-driven economy. Individual and family-owned businesses, cooperatives, and privately and publicly held companies are now permitted. The privatization process was simplified with a 1994 law that created the Privatization Agency (PA) and the State Property Fund. Distribution of privatization vouchers was completed by March 1995, with certificates valued at Ls2.8 billion distributed to 2.2 million Latvians.

The privatization program focuses on international tenders and public offerings of shares. By mid-1994, 450 state enterprises had been transferred for privatization. The first international tender of 45 enterprises came in November 1994, followed by 80 more in 1995. Large-scale privatization began in 1996 and continued into the beginning of the 21st century, when privatization was almost complete (with the exception of large state utilities).

In 2001, Latvia negotiated a 20-month, $44-million Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Real GDP growth was strong in 2001–02, led by investment and consumption. Inflation was low during those years. In 2003, per capita GDP stood around 50% above its level in 1995. Latvia's economy in 2003 was regarded as one of the best of the 10 countries slated for EU admission in 2004. The government was taking steps toward achieving a balanced budget by reducing government spending in 2003.