Fact-check: claim of 49,000 migrants arriving in Latvia examined
A claim circulating on social media says 49,000 migrants came to Latvia in the first eight months of this year. The "Faktomāts" fact-checking project is examining what the migration authority actually counts and whether its data shows how many people arrived.
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A claim is spreading on social media in Latvia that 49,000 migrants arrived in the country in the first eight months of this year. According to the claim, this equals 2.7% of Latvia's population. The news portal Apollo.lv and its fact-checking project "Faktomāts" have looked into it.
What the claim relies on
The claim cites official statistics from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), the state body that handles foreigners' entry and residence matters in Latvia. Those statistics do indeed confirm tens of thousands of invitations issued to foreigners every year.
What "Faktomāts" checked
The check addresses two questions. First, what exactly the institution counts in its statistics. Second, whether these figures allow any conclusion about how many people have actually come to Latvia.
The matter therefore hinges on whether the number of invitations is the same as the number of people who arrived. That determines whether the figure of 49,000, and the 2.7% share of the population attached to it, can be justified. "Faktomāts" sets out its findings in its own publication.
