However, the rise is likely to be attributable in large part to the arrival of refugees from Ukraine from the second quarter of 2022.
On April 1, the provisional number of inhabitants in Latvia was 1 million 885 thousand, which is 15.4 thousand people more than on 1 April 2022.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, the population declined by 5,600 people (including registered immigrants).
However, demographic trends remain of concern. There was a decline in the number of births: 3 421 births were registered, which is 518 children or 13.2 % fewer than in the corresponding period of 2022 when 3 939 children were born. Moreover, the number of births is less than a half of the number of deaths.
Over the first three months of this year 7 668 deaths were registered, which is 935 deaths or 10.9 % fewer than in Q1 2022 (when the pandemic was impacting figures) and 0.5 % fewer than before the pandemic in Q1 2019.
During the first three months of 2023, 1 511 marriages were registered, and compared to the corresponding period a year ago the number has grown by 115 marriages or 8.2 %. The number is getting closer to that registered before the pandemic when in the first quarter of 2019 and 2020 more than 1.7 thousand marriages were registered.
Revised data will be published on June 1.
