Demographics of Latvia

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Latvia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Latvia was ruled by the German Teutonic Knights from the early 13th century until 1583 when after collapse of Livonia the rule was taken over by Polish-Lithunian Commonwealth. Various rulers of Latvia include Denmark (the Danes held on lands around the Gulf of Riga) and Sweden. In 1629 Latvian Livonia was taken by the Swedes until 1721, when the Russians took over. Southern Latvia remained under the Polish Crown until 1795 to been annexed by Russia.

Historically, Latvia has had significant German, Russian, Jewish and Polish minorities. Because of German influences, the majority of Latvians (except the Latgale) adapted Lutheranism while the Latgalians remained mostly Roman Catholic.

In 1897, the first official census in this area indicated that Latvians formed 68.3 % of the total population of 1.93 million; Russians accounted for 12%, Jews for 7.4 %, Germans for 6.2 %, and Poles for 3.4 %. The remainder were Lithuanians, Estonians, Gypsies, and various other nationalities.

The demographics shifted dramatically in the 20th century due to the world wars, the repatriation of the Baltic Germans, the Holocaust, and occupation by the Soviet Union. Today, only the Russian minority, which has tripled in numbers since 1935, remains important. The share of ethnic Latvians grew from 77% (1,467,035) in 1935 to 80% (1,508,800), after human loss in WWII and human deportation and other repressive measures, dramatically fell to 52% (1,387,757) in 1989.

In 2005, there were even fewer Latvians than in 1989, though their share of the population was larger - 1,357,099 (58.8% of the inhabitants). People who arrived in Latvia during the Soviet era, and their descendants born before 21 August 1991, have to pass naturalisation process to receive Latvian citizenship. Children born to residents after the restoration of independence in 1991 automatically receive citizenship. However, if both parents are "stateless," then the parents must take the extra step of choosing Latvian citizenship for their child—who is automatically entitled, but for whom citizenship is not automatic (neither granted nor imposed).

Over 100,000 persons have been naturalized as Latvian citizens in recent years, but 392,816 persons (278, 213 of them ethnic Russians) live in Latvia with aliens' passports. Large numbers of Russians, as well some Ukrainians and Belarussians remained in Latvia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Latvians and Livonians, the indigenous peoples of Latvia, are now 60% of the population. Livonians are the other indigenous ethnic group, with about 100 of them remaining. Some Latgalians consider themselves as a group separate from Latvians but the predominant view is that Latgallians are a distinctive subgroup of Latvians.

Polish minority in Latvia forms numbers about 60,000-75,000 and forms about 2.5% of Latvian population.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

Demographics of Latvia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

The following data are estimates by July, 2008, obtained from the CIA World Factbook.

Population

2,245,423

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.4% (male 154,077; female 146,825)
15-64 years: 69.7% (male 760,976; female 803,106)
65 years and over: 16.9% (male 124,658; female 255,781) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.629% (2008 est.)

Birth rate

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate

-2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.88 years
male: 66.68 years
female: 77.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Latvian(s) (archaic: Lett(s))
adjective: Latvian (archaic: Lettish)

Ethnic groups

Latvians 57.7%, Russians 29.6%, Belarusians 4.1%, Ukrainians 2.7%, Poles 2.4.5%, Lithuanians 1.4%, other 2.0% (2002)

Religions

Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Knowledge of languages

Latvian (79%), Russian (81.2%), English (14.3%), German (7.6%), Polish (1.7%),Belarusian (1.5%), Ukrainian (1.1%), Lithuanian (1.3%)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2004 est.)

See also

• Aging of Europe

External links

• Naturalization Board of the Republic of Latvia: Figures and facts
• Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs: Statistics