Over 2 Million People Counted in Latvia’s Population Census

The Latvian national statistics office has managed to count more than two million people in the recent population census, the statistics office's head Maranda Behmane told the Baltic News Service.

Thus, BNS reported, speculations have been dispelled that Latvia's population has already shrunk below two million. In the words of Latvian demographer Ilmārs Mežs, topping the two million mark was important from the psychological point of view.

“On March 1, when the population census ended, there were certainly more than two million residents in Latvia,” Behmane was quoted as saying.

According to BNS, the figure has been obtained by comparing the census data with information from various databases. Behmane was quoted as saying that there were people who failed to get counted due to various reasons, but that this did not mean they had left the country.

The national statistics office is due to release more details on the 2011 population and housing census in late January 2012, BNS reported. A report will be submitted to the government on the census and its key preliminary results.

The Rīga-based newswire also said that final results of the census will be released in summer 2012, which will be followed by a recalculation of the size of the population in accordance with the census results.

The previous population census was held in Latvia ten years ago.
Although Latvia has shrunk from a country of 2.3 millions in 2000, to 2.0 millions in 2012, due to major demographic crisis and emigration, the proportion of Latvians in Latvia is growing every year.