demographics

Information Technology in Latvia
Demographics

Latvia, along with Estonia has the largest ethnic-Russian communities, in terms of percentage of the overall population, of any former Soviet republic except the Central Asian nation of Kazakstan. In 1991, roughly 900,000 of the country’s 2.56 million inhabitants were ethnic Russians. In 1996, Latvians’ demographic share was 55.1 percent. Ethnic Russians made up 32.6 percent of the population with other ethnic groups totaling 12.3 percent.
In Latvia, high concentrations of Russian speakers are found in most major cities. In the Latvian capital of Riga, the Russian-speaking population actually comprises a majority.

Population: 2,385,396 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:0-14 years: 19% (male 227,634; female 218,321)15-64 years: 66% (male 754,416; female 829,801) 65 years and over: 15% (male 113,925; female 241,299) (July 1998est.)

Population growth rate: -1.41% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 8.14 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 15.78 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -6.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female (1998 est.)Infant mortality rate: 17.44 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality groups: Latvian 56.5%, Russian 30.4%, Byelorussian 4.3%, Ukrainian 2.8%, Polish 2.6%, other 3.4%Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian.

Orthodox Languages: Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian.

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write.

Telecommunications	Privatization and Deregulation	Internet Activity	Electronic Commerce
Hardware Manufacturing	Software Development	IT Usage	IT Labor Market
IT Geographics	IT Financing	Government Policies	Legal Environment
IT Strengths and Weaknesses	Impact on Business	Sources and Links	About the Authors

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This site was created by MBA students at the American University in Washington, DC.
Fall 1999

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Information Technology Landscape in Nations page.

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Last update: December 17, 1999