Riga Startups

Formation Index

Company Formations, Q3 2018

2,405 limited companies were registered in Latvia in Q3 2018, +6.8% against the same quarter a year earlier and -3.2% against the quarter before. Of those, 1,276 were registered in Rīga. Joining them is a two day filing.

Source: Uzņēmumu reģistrs open data, dump of 27 September 2026, covering registrations through 25 September 2026. Population REGISTER_BASELINE (SIA and AS). Definitions v4. Methodology.

Cover for Company Formations in Latvia, Q3 2018
Formations
2,405
Q3 2018
Quarter
-3.2%
-80
Year
+6.8%
+154
Rolling 4Q
10,004
last four quarters

How Many Companies Are Registered in Latvia Each Quarter?

2,405 limited companies were registered in Latvia in Q3 2018, +6.8% against the same quarter a year earlier and -3.2% against the quarter before. The four quarter total to Q3 2018 was 10,004, and that is the figure to read, because Latvian formations are seasonal.

Formations by Quarter

08751,7502,6253,5002018 Q3151617184Q avg
Bars are the quarter. The line is the four quarter average, on the same axis, which is the series to read: Latvian formations are seasonal and Q1 is not comparable with Q3. The 2020 collapse and rebound is COVID.
Show the numbers
QuarterFormationsQoQYoYRolling 4Q
Q4 20152,970-2.6%n/a12,610
Q1 20162,835-4.5%-18.4%11,971
Q2 20162,788-1.7%-10.6%11,642
Q3 20162,452-12.1%-19.6%11,045
Q4 20162,295-6.4%-22.7%10,370
Q1 20172,434+6.1%-14.1%9,969
Q2 20172,298-5.6%-17.6%9,479
Q3 20172,251-2%-8.2%9,278
Q4 20172,418+7.4%+5.4%9,401
Q1 20182,696+11.5%+10.8%9,663
Q2 20182,485-7.8%+8.1%9,850
Q3 20182,405-3.2%+6.8%10,004

Where in Latvia Are New Companies Registered?

Rīga had the most, 1,276 of the 2,405 limited companies registered in Q3 2018, followed by Jūrmala with 67. Within Riga, Centrs led with 171, though a registered address is often an accountant’s office rather than a workplace.

Where They Registered

The ten busiest of Latvia's 64 municipalities in Q3 2018.
Show the numbers
MunicipalityFormations
Rīga1,276
Jūrmala67
Liepāja64
Mārupes nov.62
Jelgava60
Ogres nov.59
Cēsu nov.47
Daugavpils44
Ropažu nov.44
Valmieras nov.42
Ķekavas nov.41
Siguldas nov.39
Tukuma nov.33
Bauskas nov.31
Kuldīgas nov.28
Salaspils nov.28
Limbažu nov.27
Rēzekne27
Ādažu nov.26
Dienvidkurzemes nov.25
Jēkabpils nov.23
Jelgavas nov.22
Madonas nov.22
Dobeles nov.21
Olaines nov.20
Saldus nov.18
Aizkraukles nov.16
Ludzas nov.16
Talsu nov.16
Balvu nov.15
Ventspils15
Gulbenes nov.13
Krāslavas nov.13
Smiltenes nov.12
Saulkrastu nov.10
Alūksnes nov.9
Preiļu nov.9
Ventspils nov.8
Augšdaugavas nov.7
Līvānu nov.7
Rēzeknes nov.7
Varakļānu nov.4
Auces nov.3
Ķeguma nov.3
Valkas nov.3
Daugavpils nov.2
Garkalnes nov.2
Jēkabpils2
Stopiņu nov.2
Babītes nov.1
Carnikavas nov.1
Grobiņas nov.1
Jaunjelgavas nov.1
Kandavas nov.1
Neretas nov.1
Ozolnieku nov.1
Pļaviņu nov.1
Priekuļu nov.1
Rundāles nov.1
Salacgrīvas nov.1
Skrīveru nov.1
Valmiera1
Vecumnieku nov.1
Zilupes nov.1

Where in Riga

All 1,275 Riga formations placed in a neighbourhood from the registered address. A registered address is often an accountant's office rather than a workplace, so read this as where companies are filed, not where people sit.
Show the numbers
NeighbourhoodFormations
Centrs171
Purvciems82
Avoti68
Imanta65
Teika63
Āgenskalns57
Ķengarags55
Latgale49
Ziepniekkalns48
Iļģuciems42
Sarkandaugava42
Grīziņkalns37
Torņakalns37
Brasa36
Pļavnieki33
Dārzciems30
Zolitūde28
Čiekurkalns25
Jugla25
Mežciems24
Vecpilsēta22
Dzirciems20
Vecmīlgrāvis19
Šķirotava18
Pleskodāle15
Zasulauks15
Bolderāja13
Šampēteris13
Skanste12
Pētersala-Andrejsala11
Atgāzene10
Bieriņi10
Mežaparks9
Bišumuiža8
Mīlgrāvis8
Berģi7
Daugavgrīva7
Dreiliņi7
Rumbula5
Ķīpsala3
Trīsciems3
Vecāķi3
Beberbeķi2
Bukulti2
Buļļi2
Dārziņi2
Katlakalns2
Kleisti2
Mangaļsala2
Salas2
Jaunciems1
Kundziņsala1
Mūkupurvs1
Vecdaugava1

Neighbourhood names link through to the companies we list there. See them on the map.

Do These Formation Numbers Change After Publication?

Yes, slightly, and the page tells you which reading you are looking at. Every edition carries the dump it was built from and the date the data runs to. A later dump of the same register can return a different count for a quarter already published, because the register keeps changing behind the dump.

Three things move a number after it is out. Registrations and corrections are entered after the fact, so a company formed near the end of a quarter can land in a later dump than the one that first reported that quarter. Terminated companies leave the capital file entirely, which lowers a quarter’s capital coverage as it ages. And a definition can change, in which case the changelog below says so.

Two rules keep that honest rather than confusing. A quarter is not reported at all until at least ten days have passed since it ended, which is what stops the first reading being the worst one. And each quarter gets its own permanent address once it qualifies, so the figure you cite stays where you found it.

Cite the dated edition rather than this page if the number matters. The hub always shows the latest complete quarter, which means the same URL says something different next quarter, and that is the difference a citation needs to survive.

What Does the Latvia Company Formation Index Not Measure?

Startups, for one: it counts every limited company, because Latvia publishes no industry classification per company as open data. A formation is also a registration rather than a business, since some of these companies will never trade and some hold a single asset, so the index counts only what the register records.

This counts every limited company, not startups. Latvia publishes no industry classification per company as open data, and every signal that would mark a company as a tech company is one that disappears when the company does. Rather than dress a guess as a definition, the index counts what the register actually records and says so in its title. The reasoning is set out on the methodology page.

A formation is a registration, not a business. Some of these companies will never trade, and some are holding vehicles for a single asset. The survival series will eventually say how many.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Companies Were Registered in Latvia in Q3 2018?

2,405 limited companies, SIA and AS, were registered in Latvia in Q3 2018, +6.8% against the same quarter a year earlier and -3.2% against the quarter before.

Why Are Latvian Company Formations Read Over Four Quarters?

Because formations are seasonal, so a first quarter is not comparable with a third. The four quarter total to Q3 2018, 10,004, smooths that out and is the series to read.

Does the Latvia Company Formation Index Count Startups?

No. It counts every limited company registered, because Latvia publishes no industry classification per company as open data, and every signal that would mark a company as a tech company disappears when the company does.

Where Does the Latvia Company Formation Index Data Come From?

From the Uzņēmumu reģistrs open data, dump of 27 September 2026, covering registrations through 25 September 2026. Riga neighbourhoods are placed from each company’s registered address.

When Is the Latvia Company Formation Index Published?

In the second week after each quarter ends. Each edition has its own page and CSV, and the full quarterly series can be downloaded as a single file.

Definitions Changelog

Cite This

Sageo SIA (2026). Company Formations in Latvia, Q3 2018. Riga Startups. Computed from Uzņēmumu reģistrs open data, extract of 2026-09-27. https://rigastartups.com/reports/formation-index-2018-q3

Permalink: https://rigastartups.com/reports/formation-index-2018-q3 · CSV for this edition

The numbers are free to reuse. The register data underneath is CC0 and this analysis of it is offered on the same terms. An attribution and a link back is the whole ask.

Other Editions

Published in the second week after each quarter ends.

Download the full series as CSV