RIGA, April 22 (LETA) - Of Latvia's 861,000 employed people aged 15 years and over, 41.4 percent had higher education at the beginning of 2024, which is an increase of 0.7 percentage points year-on-year, according to the data released by the Central Statistical Bureau on Tuesday.

Of the employed population with higher education, 22.7 percent had master's degrees, 14.2 percent had bachelor's degrees, 3.8 percent had college education, and 0.7 had doctor's degrees.

Statistics show that the Riga region had the highest number of employed persons with educational attainment at the tertiary level - 48.7 percent. Vidzeme followed with 35.6 percent, Latgale with 35.2 percent, Zemgale with 33.6 percent, and Kurzeme with 33.5 percent.

Among Latvia's largest cities, the highest share of employed persons with higher education was recorded in Jurmala (50 percent), followed by Riga (48.4 percent), Ogre (43.7 percent), Jelgava (42.7 percent), Rezekne (41 percent), Daugavpils (40.6 percent), Valmiera (40.2 percent), Liepaja (37.5 percent), Ventspils (37 percent), and Jekabpils (33.9 percent).

Data also shows that at the beginning of 2024, 31.2 percent of Latvia's population aged 15 years and over had higher education, which is a rise of 0.5 percentage points against the same period a year before.

The sharpest increase in the proportion of people with tertiary education was recorded among women. At the beginning of 2024, 24.4 percent of men and 36.9 percent of women aged 15 and over had completed education at tertiary level.

According to the CSB, the share of men with higher education last exceeded that of women in the 1979 census, when 8.6 percent of men and 7.6 percent and women aged 16 and over had attained tertiary education.

Out of the 1.5 million residents aged 15 and over, 861,000, or 54.6 percent, were employed at the beginning of 2024. Riga and Valmiera had the highest employment rates among Latvia's large cities - 57 percent, followed by Ogre with 56.4 percent, Jelgava with 55.6 percent, Jurmala with 53.9 percent, Liepaja with 53.5 percent, Jekabpils with 51.5 percent, Ventspils with 51.3 percent, Rezekne with 50.5 percent, and Daugavpils with 48.6 percent.

The highest employment rates (exceeding 60 percent) for inhabitants aged 15 and over were recorded in Marupe (64.6 percent), Kekava (63 percent), Adazi (62.6 percent), Ropazi (61.6 percent) and Salaspils (60.2 percent) municipalities.

Olaine (59.3 percent), Sigulda (59 percent), Saulkrasti (57.6 percent), Ogre (56.9 percent), and Cesis (55.1 percent) municipalities had employment rates between 55 percent and 60 percent.

A large part of municipalities had an employment rate of 50-55 percent: Jelgava (54.9 percent), Smiltene (54.7 percent), Valmiera (54.3 percent), Tukums (53.4 percent), Bauska (52.8 percent), Dienvidkurzeme (52.6 percent), Gulbene (52.4 percent), Dobele (51.8 percent), Saldus (51.8 percent), Ventspils (51.2 percent), Limbazi (51.1 percent), Kuldiga (51.0 percent), Talsi (51.0 percent), Jekabpils (50.9 percent), Madona (50.8 percent), Aizkraukle (50.5 percent), and Aluksne (50.3 percent).

The lowest employment rates (below 50 percent) were recorded in Preili (49.6 percent), Balvi (49.5 percent), Varaklani (48.9 percent), Livani (48.7 percent), Rezekne (47.4 percent), Valka (47.3 percent), Augsdaugava (46.4 percent), Kraslava (44.6 percent), and Ludza municipalities (44.5 percent).