On 20 November 2025, International Social Entrepreneurship Day is celebrated worldwide. Its aim is to promote awareness of the importance of social entrepreneurship in Latvia and globally, highlight social enterprises and the services they provide, share experience stories that demonstrate the positive impact of social entrepreneurship, and encourage public support.
In Latvia, this day is a celebration for both social enterprises and the organisations that support them — the Ministry of Welfare and the Latvian Social Entrepreneurship Association — which have been actively working for ten years to develop social entrepreneurship and inform the public. Their contribution has been significant, helping to raise public awareness, strengthen the social enterprise community, and create sustainable change. Marking this day, society is encouraged to support social enterprises by choosing their products and services, which create added value not only for customers but for society as a whole. Anyone can explore the offers of registered social enterprises in Latvia in the catalogue at www.socuznemumi.lv.
Since the Social Enterprise Law came into force in 2018, over seven years a total of 384 companies have obtained social enterprise status, of which 279 are currently active. Of these, 61% help improve the quality of life for different groups in society (education, healthcare, sports and recreation, social services), 20% employ representatives of target groups, and 19% carry out activities that benefit society as a whole, such as environmental and animal protection, cultural diversity, and strengthening civic society.
Social enterprises operate throughout Latvia; however, out of the total of 279 companies, the largest number — 126 enterprises (45%) — are located in Riga. In the Pierīga region there are 61 companies (22%), in Vidzeme 32 (11%), in Zemgale 25 (9%), in Kurzeme 21 (8%), and in Latgale 14 companies (5%).
Marking Social Entrepreneurship Day, the Ministry of Welfare highlights the growing role of the social entrepreneurship sector in improving quality of life in society. This was also reflected in the events of Social Entrepreneurship Week, which took place from 13 to 17 October. The week’s motto, “Developing Social Entrepreneurship Together!”, emphasised the importance of cooperation in creating a sustainable and inclusive business environment. Events were organised both in person and online, ensuring broad accessibility for different groups in society.
More information is available on the Ministry of Welfare’s website and on the YouTube channel “Social Entrepreneurship”.
