Latvia's GDP grows faster than EU average: economists seek explanation in St. Joseph's Cathedral

Eurostat announced that Latvia's GDP grew by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, which is significantly better than the EU average of 1.4%. This news was received with cautious optimism in Riga, but in Liepāja it only raised justified doubts – did the statisticians really count correctly?

"Well, if our economy is growing so rapidly, why does the tram still run like it did a hundred years ago?" asks Juris, who walks from the railway to the city center every morning. He points out that Malta has indeed surged ahead with its +6.4%, but there's no winter there and no need to heat houses for five months a year.

Local economists have gathered at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral to pray for higher powers' help in explaining these numbers. "We know that Malta is small and Cyprus too, but our 2.5% is honestly earned through real work, not cryptocurrency and offshore business," explains one of the participants.

Meanwhile, Estonia with its 0.8% remains far behind, which in Liepāja is perceived as proof that sometimes slower means more stable. "They there in Tallinn with their e-solutions thought they'd be faster, but it turns out that good old Latvia's approach still delivers results," comments a visitor to the local café "By Rose Square."

Romania with its -1.5% reminds us that in economics, just like with Liepāja's weather, you can't always predict what tomorrow will bring. But at least our statistics are positive, and that's something in this unpredictable world.