Since regaining independence in 1991, Latvia has suffered massive population loss. At that time, the country had roughly 2.7 million inhabitants. Today, officials count almost 2 million. Between the censuses in 1989 and 2011, this decline was approximately 600,000 people, representing 22.5% of the population. This is by far the highest value in Europe.
Latvia’s shrinking population is a result of the interplay between natural and spatial population movements. Latvia is facing a persistent demographic crisis with problems such as fertility decline, ageing, out-migration, brain drain and regional polarization.