Things get off in a suitably eye-opening manner with this striking set of statistics:
"In the past twenty-five years, the population declined in each country. In Latvia and Lithuania, population decreased the most – respectively by 25.7% and 24.4%. In Estonia, population declined the least – by 12.3%, or approximately half of the percentage change of the other two countries."
The Baltic states have also maintained their reputation for having women outnumbering men by a wider margin than elsewhere in the world:
"At the beginning of 2019, the proportion of women and men was nearly the same in the three countries. Women accounted for 53% of the total population in Estonia. In Latvia and Lithuania, the proportion of women was equal and stood at 54%."
In the world of politics, Latvia is the most progressive of the Baltic states in some respects - though there is certainly still room for considerable improvement:
"Women are the most unequally represented in the parliament of Lithuania (Seimas) as there are only 30 women out of 141 members (21%), whereas the proportion of women in the parliament of Estonia (Riigikogu) is larger – 29 females out of 101 members (29%). Comparing all three Baltic states, women are the most equally represented in the parliament of Latvia (Saeima), as women accounted for 31 out of 100 members (31%) at the last elections."
Latvia is also ahead in terms of government representation of women:
"Currently, representation of women in the Government differs, the biggest share of women in the Government in Latvia was 21%, there are three female ministers out of 14 and in the Government of Estonia – two out of 15 (13%). In the Government of Lithuania, currently only one woman (7%) takes a ministerial position out of 14."
At local level, too, Latvia is leading, as women make up 34% of local government members, while in Estonia and Lithuania the figure is currently 29%. And at European Parliament level, Latvia has already achieved parity between the sexes with the country's allocation of 8 MEPs split evenly between men and women.
The data is all available to read and explore online and is very attractively presented.
Brand new digital publication “Women and Men in the Baltic States” focusing on gender statistics in various areas like population and families, labout market, education etc. In English and in cooperation with @StatistikosD and @eestistatistika
— Statistics Latvia (@CSB_Latvia) December 13, 2019
Have a lookhttps://t.co/qWpQOoQEwD pic.twitter.com/aHYBqVTJKv