Latvia sees 4.5% drop in newborn registrations in first half of 2026
Provisional data from Latvia's Central Statistical Bureau show 4.5% fewer newborns were registered in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier, while deaths continued to outnumber births.
Latvia's Central Statistical Bureau has released provisional figures showing that 5,547 newborns were registered in the country during the first six months of this year — 262 fewer, or a 4.5% decline, compared with the same period in 2025.
Of those newborns, 2,827 were boys, down 206, or 6.8%, from the same period last year, while 2,720 were girls, a decrease of 56, or 2%. In June alone, 958 newborns were registered, including 504 boys and 454 girls — 46 fewer than in June 2025.
Deaths continue to outpace births
In contrast to the declining birth numbers, deaths rose in the first half of the year. A total of 13,384 deaths were registered, an increase of 142, or 1.1%, compared with 13,242 deaths recorded in the same period of 2025.
As a result, deaths exceeded births by 7,837 in the first half of this year, a larger gap than the 7,433 recorded during the same period last year.
Fewer marriages as well
The number of registered marriages also fell, with 3,733 recorded in the first half of the year — 364, or 8.9%, fewer than in the same period of 2025.
As of July 1 this year, Latvia's provisional population stood at 1.832 million.
