Demographics of Latvia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Latvia was ruled by the German knights from early 13th century until 1561 when they choose to become Polish vassals to protect them against Russian and Swedish aggressions. In 1629 Latvian Livonia was taken by the Swedes until 1721 when Russians took over while southern Latvia remained under Polish Crown until 1795.

Historically, Latvia had a fairly large German, Jewish and Polish minorities. 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 the occupation by the Soviet Union, so today only the Russian minority, which has tripled in numbers ever since 1935, remains important. The share of ethnic Latvians had fallen from 77% (1,467,035) in 1935 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 1991, must naturalize to receive Latvian citizenship. Children born to residents after the restoration of independence in 1991 automatically receive citizenship. Over 100 000 persons have been naturalized as Latvian citizens in recent years, but 418 440 persons (278 213 of them ethnic Russians) live in Latvia with alien's passports.

Latvians and Livonians, the indigenous peoples of Latvia, are now less than 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.

[edit] Statistical indicators

The following data are estimates by July, 2004, obtained from the CIA World Factbook.

Population: 2,306,306

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 177,223; female 169,241)
15-64 years: 69% (male 772,496; female 823,410)
65 years and over: 16% (male 118,035; female 245,901) (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.71% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 8.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 13.7 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 9.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.86 years
male: 65.91 years
female: 76.08 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Latvians 58.9%, Russians 29.6%, Belarusians 4.1%, Ukrainians 2.7%, Poles 2.5%, Lithuanians 1.4%, other 0.8% (2005)

Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Languages: Latvian (official), Russian, Polish, Estonian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian

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

[edit] External links

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