Population and population change

Population of Latvia covers usual residents, i.e., people who have lived here or have an intention of staying here for at least 12 consecutive months. As of 1 January 2012, the size of the population of Latvia is estimated. The estimate is based on the information in the Register of Natural Persons managed by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and other administrative data. Population estimate shows the number of inhabitants on 1 January of each year.

Changes in the size of population are caused by natural population change (also called natural increase, which is the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths) and net long-term international migration (the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants).

The number of live births refers to the live births registered in Latvia during the reference year. It includes children born to the parents at least one of whom is usual resident of Latvia as well as children born to mothers who are usual residents of Latvia while temporarily abroad.

The number of deaths refers to the deaths registered in Latvia during the reference year. It also includes usual residents who passed away while temporarily abroad. The number of deaths is not adjusted to include individuals declared dead after a prolonged period of absence.

Population change is the sum of natural population change and net migration during the reference year.

Due to negative natural population change and negative net migration, the population of Latvia has been declining since 1991.

A third of all inhabitants live in the capital Riga. 

Following the administrative-territorial reform, official statistics for the population of municipalities and rural territories is currently published for recent years. In contrast, population size in experimental statistics is estimated using geospatial data (coordinates of address points and current boundaries of the administrative territories, which correspond to those in the State Land Service data). The territorial breakdown of the population in experimental statistics is available for 2000 and 2011, as well as for the period from 2016 to the latest year available. For longer time series, please refer to the OSP database table RIG010. Population in regions, cities, municipalities, towns, rural territories, villages (based on the boundaries in force at the beginning of 2024), neighbourhoods and densely populated areas by sex and age group (experimental statistics).