12,571 children were born in Latvia in 2024, which was 1,191 (13.2%) fewer than the year before, the country’s Central Statistical Bureau has presented with provisional data.
The number of births was below 1,000 during the last three months of the year – 994 in October, 940 in November and 921 in December. Each month during 2024 had the lowest number of births during the past 100 years.
26,431 deaths were registered in Latvia last year, which was 1,690 deaths (6%) fewer than in 2023. The largest year-on-year reduction was recorded during the fourth quarter of 2024 (9%), while the lowest number of deaths (1,956) was registered in September, and the greatest number (2,702) was in January.
The number of deaths has been at least twice as high as the number of births during the past four years. In 2024, the gap was 13,770, and the largest gap (17,180) was registered in 2021. The natural population change in Latvia has remained negative since 1990.
The negative natural population change meant 9,800 fewer residents in 2024, with a provisional population of 1,853,000 in Latvia as of January 1,2025.
10,390 marriages were registered in 2024, which was 1.5% (159) fewer than the year before. The number of marriages increased slightly after 2020, but it has been declining for the past two years. Last year, 312 fewer marriages were concluded than in 2020, when gatherings were restricted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: BNS
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