Riga Startups

Formation Index

Company Formations, Q4 2018

2,337 limited companies were registered in Latvia in Q4 2018, -3.3% against the same quarter a year earlier and -2.8% against the quarter before. Of those, 1,175 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, Q4 2018
Formations
2,337
Q4 2018
Quarter
-2.8%
-68
Year
-3.3%
-81
Rolling 4Q
9,923
last four quarters

How Many Companies Are Registered in Latvia Each Quarter?

2,337 limited companies were registered in Latvia in Q4 2018, -3.3% against the same quarter a year earlier and -2.8% against the quarter before. The four quarter total to Q4 2018 was 9,923, and that is the figure to read, because Latvian formations are seasonal.

Formations by Quarter

08751,7502,6253,5002018 Q4151617184Q 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
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
Q4 20182,337-2.8%-3.3%9,923

Where in Latvia Are New Companies Registered?

Rīga had the most, 1,175 of the 2,337 limited companies registered in Q4 2018, followed by Jūrmala with 77. Within Riga, Centrs led with 161, 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 Q4 2018.
Show the numbers
MunicipalityFormations
Rīga1,175
Jūrmala77
Mārupes nov.68
Ogres nov.55
Ropažu nov.55
Liepāja54
Daugavpils53
Jelgava50
Valmieras nov.49
Cēsu nov.41
Ķekavas nov.39
Siguldas nov.38
Bauskas nov.33
Madonas nov.31
Tukuma nov.31
Salaspils nov.30
Olaines nov.29
Kuldīgas nov.26
Jēkabpils nov.24
Dobeles nov.23
Jelgavas nov.23
Ventspils23
Dienvidkurzemes nov.22
Ādažu nov.21
Augšdaugavas nov.21
Talsu nov.21
Krāslavas nov.20
Limbažu nov.19
Ludzas nov.19
Saldus nov.19
Aizkraukles nov.18
Gulbenes nov.16
Saulkrastu nov.16
Balvu nov.14
Rēzekne11
Smiltenes nov.9
Ventspils nov.9
Preiļu nov.8
Rēzeknes nov.7
Auces nov.5
Alūksnes nov.4
Līvānu nov.3
Carnikavas nov.2
Ikšķiles nov.2
Ķeguma nov.2
Ozolnieku nov.2
Rūjienas nov.2
Zilupes nov.2
Aizputes nov.1
Alsungas nov.1
Apes nov.1
Babītes nov.1
Burtnieku nov.1
Garkalnes nov.1
Iecavas nov.1
Kandavas nov.1
Lielvārdes nov.1
Pļaviņu nov.1
Priekules nov.1
Priekuļu nov.1
Rundāles nov.1
Strenču nov.1
Valkas nov.1
Valmiera1

Where in Riga

All 1,175 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
Centrs161
Purvciems81
Teika75
Avoti72
Ķengarags57
Ziepniekkalns51
Latgale50
Sarkandaugava48
Grīziņkalns41
Brasa40
Āgenskalns39
Pļavnieki39
Imanta38
Jugla32
Iļģuciems31
Zolitūde30
Čiekurkalns27
Dārzciems23
Torņakalns22
Pētersala-Andrejsala20
Vecpilsēta18
Bieriņi17
Skanste16
Pleskodāle13
Dzirciems12
Vecmīlgrāvis12
Atgāzene11
Bolderāja11
Mežciems10
Šķirotava10
Mežaparks8
Daugavgrīva7
Dreiliņi7
Ķīpsala6
Mīlgrāvis5
Zasulauks5
Bišumuiža4
Dārziņi4
Rumbula4
Beberbeķi3
Berģi3
Šampēteris3
Brekši2
Katlakalns2
Jaunciems1
Kleisti1
Mangaļsala1
Vecāķi1
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 Q4 2018?

2,337 limited companies, SIA and AS, were registered in Latvia in Q4 2018, -3.3% against the same quarter a year earlier and -2.8% 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 Q4 2018, 9,923, 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, Q4 2018. Riga Startups. Computed from Uzņēmumu reģistrs open data, extract of 2026-09-27. https://rigastartups.com/reports/formation-index-2018-q4

Permalink: https://rigastartups.com/reports/formation-index-2018-q4 · 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