What are the most common languages spoken in Riga?

Riga is the capital of Latvia, but compared to other cities elsewhere, it’s relatively quiet and may seem uneventful to some. It’s not anywhere near as quiet as a village, but it’s nothing like New York or Shanghai. While many of the locals do speak English to some degree, trying to speak to our citizens “in their native language” can be a bit of a gamble, since not everyone here actually knows Latvian. Due to its legacy as a post-USSR city, Riga, just like Latvia in general, is home to many people whose native language is actually not Latvian, but Russian. There used to be a big social divide between Latvian and Russian speakers, exacerbated by various political groups, but now, this problem seems to be far less acute than it was before. In general, Riga is a nice place but may not be to everyone’s taste. If you prefer your cities relatively quiet, Riga is a great choice. If you prefer your cities loud and full of everything all at once, look elsewhere.

Someone moving to Riga should know most people over 30 don’t speak English. However, most people can speak Russian, but people under 30 won’t admit that. They will try to avoid speaking to you altogether before they will speak any Russian. But don’t let the language barrier discourage you from coming here, Riga is actually a very beautiful city with an interesting history.