Latvian Population Falls Below 2 Million
According to fresh data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, the nation's population has dropped below the 2 million mark.
The bureau said low birth rates and emigration both played a major role, with 8,000 fewer people being born in 2013 than dying, and 22,600 people leaving the county compared to only 8,300 returning to Latvia.
The trend affects Latvian Russians the most, with the groups population declining by slightly over 10,000 in 2013, representing about half the overall decline. Ethnic Latvians now make up 61.4 percent of the population, followed by Russians (26.0), Belorussians (3.4), Ukrainians (2.3) and Poles (2.2).