RIGA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's birth rate continued to decline in 2024, reaching record lows each month, the national statistics office reported on Friday. The number of births fell by 13.2 percent from the previous year to 12,571, marking the lowest levels in a century.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths was more than twice that of births, despite a 6-percent drop to 26,341 in 2024. Due to the negative natural population change, Latvia's population decreased by 13,800 people over the past year, reaching an estimated 1.853 million at the start of 2025.

News portal Delfi highlighted concerns over declining birth rates in an article early in January. The report pointed to the impact on education, noting that while Riga still faces kindergarten waiting lists, many regions are lowering the age for kindergarten admission due to fewer children. The state has also been closing and merging small schools, a trend affecting sparsely populated areas.

Higher education is also under pressure, with universities merging and centralizing, making the recruitment of foreign students increasingly vital, Delfi reported. Enditem

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