The population decreased last year in seven member states of the European Union (EU). In Poland, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Italy, the population decline in 2023 was less than 0.5%
In contrast, Malta (by 3.9%), Luxembourg (by 1.7%), Ireland and Cyprus (each by 1.4%) experienced the highest population growth.
In recent years, the population in Latvia decreased mainly as a result of negative natural growth, the number of deaths exceeding the number of births, explains CSB. Although there was a positive migration balance in 2023, the population decreased again as a result of negative natural growth (-0.7%).
The number of births per 1,000 inhabitants in Latvia is also decreasing faster than the EU average. Last year in Latvia there were 7.7 births per 1000 inhabitants, while in the EU – 8.2.
As recently as 2021, the number of births per 1,000 inhabitants in Latvia was equal to the EU average, but it continues to decrease every year. In the last 10 years, the highest indicator for Latvia was in 2016, when the number of births increased and was the fourth best indicator among EU member states.
In 2023, 14,490 children were born in Latvia, which is 1,464 or 9.2% less than the year before. This is the lowest indicator in the last hundred years, CSB noted.
The change of generations is characterized by the total birth rate. In 2016, it increased to 1.74 in Latvia, reaching the highest level since 1992. However, since 2017, the birth rate has decreased and in 2023 it was 1.36. The desired number of children for a normal generational change is 2.1 to 2.2. In the EU as a whole, the total birth rate in 2022 was 1.46.
In 2023, there were 2,700 or 8.8% fewer deaths than the year before and 19% fewer compared to the high mortality rate in 2021. At the same time, last year in Latvia there were 14.9 deaths per 1000 inhabitants. This is the second highest number in the EU after Bulgaria, where there were 15.7 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the EU average was 10.8 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. In Latvia, this indicator has been one of the highest in the EU for a long time, CSB noted.
As stated by CSB, as a result of migration, the population in Latvia is increasing. For the second year in a row, the most arrivals were from Ukraine. Last year they were 25.1%, or every fourth of all immigrants, but in 2022 – 63.6%.
Compared to other EU countries, population growth as a result of migration in Latvia was relatively small. Malta had the highest migration per 1,000 inhabitants (37.9), followed by Portugal (14.7) and Luxembourg (14). In contrast, it was the lowest in Poland (0.1), followed by Slovakia (0.3) and Latvia (1.3). On average in the EU, this indicator was 6.3.
43.7% of all arrivals were made up of 8,200 remigrants – Latvian citizens and non-citizens, as well as residents whose nationality is different, but the country of birth is Latvia. The number of remigrants decreased slightly last year.
2024-10-03 05:16:05