Population......................................................................2,245,423 (July 2008 est.) Population growth rate .............................................................-0.629% (2008 est.) Birth rate.....................................................9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) Death rate................................................13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) Net migration rate...............................-2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) Ethnic groups.......Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002) Source: CIA World Factbook 2008 Member of the European Union since May 2004

Country Profile Latvia Looks West, But Legacy of Soviets Remains Although this former Soviet republic joined the European Union in 2004, its main concern is its large ethnic Russian population. Tim Heleniak of the University of Maryland explains. Latvia page on the World Migration Map Related Articles How are the Costs and Impacts of Migration Policies Evaluated? Migration Dilemmas Haunt Post-Soviet Russia Russia Beckons, But Diaspora Wary Burden-sharing in the New Age of Immigration Trafficking, Smuggling, and Human Rights Human Trafficking: The Need for Better Data Characteristics of the European Born in the United States Neighboring Countries Russia Sweden Lithuania Estonia Belarus

EU Articles The Proposed European Blue Card System: Arming for the Global War for Talent? EU Enlargement in 2007: No Warm Welcome for Labor Migrants Europe: Population and Migration in 2005 Schengen and the Free Movement of People Across Europe Schengen and the Free Movement of People Across Europe EU Enlargement and the Limits of Freedom Top 10 Migration Issues of 2005: EU Disunion: Immigration in an Enlarged Europe The Hague Program Reflects New European Realities The Challenges of Integration for the EU EU Sees Dip in Number of Asylum Applications Immigrants and EU Labor Markets Reining in Child Trafficking in the New EU Europe Attracts More Migrants from China Belgium's Undocumented Hold Lessons for EU Can UN Migration Recommendations Be Met in Europe? EU States Reach Landmark Agreement on Family Reunification Rules Other Resources Central Statistical Bureau (in Latvian and English) http://www.csb.lv/avidus.cfm US Census Bureau International Data Base http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/

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