Key points
- Latvia runs the Beveridge model: a tax-funded National Health Service (NHS) that acts as a single purchaser, contracting with public and private providers.
- Coverage is near-universal: 100% of the population is formally included, but the benefits package is limited — particularly for adult dental care, physiotherapy and certain outpatient medicines.
- Primary care is run mainly by private providers contracted by the NHS, secondary care by a roughly even mix of public and private clinics, and tertiary care largely by public facilities.
- Households paid 35.1% of health spending out of pocket in 2023 (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database), mostly for dental care, medicines and services outside the package.
- Life expectancy at birth was 75.6 years in 2023, and health spending was 7.6% of GDP in 2024 (OECD Health at a Glance 2025).
Direct answer: Latvia runs the Beveridge model: a National Health Service (NHS), funded by general taxation and social security contributions, that acts as a single purchaser, contracting with public and private providers. Coverage is near-universal — 100% of the population is formally included — but the benefits package is limited, particularly for adult dental care, physiotherapy and certain outpatient pharmaceuticals. Households paid 35.1% of health spending out of pocket in 2023 (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database), mostly for services outside the package. Life expectancy at birth was 75.6 years in 2023 — and healthy life expectancy 65.2 years — and health spending was 7.6% of GDP in 2024 (OECD Health at a Glance 2025; WHO Global Health Estimates, October 2026).
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Beveridge — tax-funded national health service (NHS) |
| Who pays | General taxation and social security contributions, through the National Health Service as single purchaser; the Ministry of Health sets policy and budgets |
| Who delivers | Primary care mainly by private providers contracted by the NHS; secondary care by a roughly even mix of public and private clinics; tertiary care largely by public facilities |
| What is free at the point of use | Covered services under the statutory benefits package; adult dental care, physiotherapy and some outpatient medicines fall outside it and are paid out of pocket |
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.6 years (2023, OECD Health at a Glance 2025) |
| Health spending | 7.6% of GDP (2024, OECD Health at a Glance 2025) |
| Source for the model and coverage | State of Health in the EU: Country Health Profile 2025: Latvia (OECD and European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies) |
Figures are a snapshot checked 7 November 2026, not a live feed. No country is ranked as best.
How the system works
Latvia’s health system is funded by a combination of general taxation and social security contributions. The Ministry of Health sets national policies and regulatory frameworks and agrees budgets, while the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control coordinates and implements public health programmes. The National Health Service acts as a single purchaser, contracting with public and private providers.
Most primary care services — including general practice and diagnostic facilities — are run by private providers which contract with the National Health Service. Secondary care is delivered through a roughly even mix of public and private clinics, whereas tertiary-level services, such as advanced hospital-based treatments, are largely offered in public facilities at the municipal or national level. The statutory system provides nearly universal population coverage, with 100% of the population formally included — but the scope of included services is limited, particularly for adult dental care, physiotherapy and certain outpatient pharmaceuticals.
Who pays, and what people pay
General taxation and social security contributions pay for the system, but the public share is thin: public funding accounted for 59% of health spending in 2023, considerably lower than the EU average of 80%, and mandatory prepayment covered 60% of spending (OECD Health at a Glance 2025). What patients pay is heavy: the share of out-of-pocket payments, at 35.1% of health expenditure in 2023, was about twice the EU average of 16% (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database). This heavy reliance on direct payments places a heavy financial burden on patients, mainly for services excluded or only partly covered by the statutory benefits package. Many pay out of pocket for dental care, some prescription medicines and certain rehabilitative services, or faster access to care. Supplementary voluntary health insurance plays a growing role, accounting for 5% of health spending in 2023.
What is free, and what is not
Free at the point of use: covered services under the statutory benefits package, including primary care and hospital care. What is not free is the margin, and it is wide: adult dental care, physiotherapy and some outpatient medicines fall outside the package, and patients pay for them directly or through supplementary insurance. Pharmaceuticals and medical devices made up 25% of current health expenditure in 2023 — a high share compared with many EU countries — and retail pharmaceuticals alone accounted for 21% of total health spending. The health workforce is thin: there were 3.4 physicians per 1,000 population in 2023, well below the EU average of 4.3, and just 4.2 nurses per 1,000 — half the EU average of 8.5.
How it compares
Latvia spends 7.6% of GDP on health — below the OECD average of 9.3% — and $3,411 per person, below the OECD average of $5,967 (USD PPP, 2024). Its life expectancy of 75.6 years is 5.5 years below the OECD average of 81.1 years (OECD Health at a Glance 2025), and the second-lowest among the OECD profiles in this set, after Mexico (75.5 years in 2024). Its distinguishing feature is the mortality behind the figures: avoidable mortality ran at 412 deaths per 100,000 people, the third-highest among the OECD profiles in this set after Colombia (419) and Mexico (418), with cardiovascular diseases and cancer responsible for more than two thirds of all deaths — and a substantial gender gap, with women living on average 10 years longer than men. Compare countries side by side in the Health System Comparison tool, or read the other profiles in the country index.
Frequently asked questions
Is Latvian healthcare free?
Covered services are free at the point of use, but the benefits package is limited: adult dental care, physiotherapy and some outpatient medicines fall outside it, so patients pay out of pocket or rely on supplementary voluntary health insurance.
What does the NHS not cover?
Mainly adult dental care, physiotherapy and certain outpatient pharmaceuticals. Dental care and medicines are the largest items households pay for directly, and retail pharmaceuticals alone accounted for 21% of total health spending in 2023.
Why is life expectancy low in Latvia?
Life expectancy was 75.6 years in 2023 — the second-lowest among the OECD profiles in this set, after Mexico (75.5 years in 2024). Cardiovascular diseases and cancer cause more than two thirds of deaths, and women live on average 10 years longer than men.