Endangered EU outskirts: Baltic population drastically reduced

According to international organizations, Lithuania was included in the list of countries of the world whose population is declining most rapidly. Things are not much better in other Baltic states of the European Union - Estonia and Latvia. Since their independence in 1991, there has been a catastrophic decline in the population in these countries.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are not accidentally united in the concept of "Baltic states". They have a common history, in many respects a similar language and cultural traditions. Today, these small states combine good neighborly relations and similar problems.

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia

The collapse of the USSR in 1991 was a long-awaited moment for them to gain independence, but at the same time it gave rise to a number of difficult socio-economic problems. They fell out of the long-established economic system, but apparently did not fit into the new European economy. Even the accession of these countries to the European Union did not contribute to solving the problem. The region’s economy is in deep crisis, and high unemployment contributes to a massive outflow of the population of the Baltic states to permanent residence in more prosperous countries: Britain, Germany, Poland.

Riga is the capital of Latvia

Throughout the 20th century, the population in these states grew and reached its maximum in 1991. Since then, a crisis demographic situation has been observed, associated both with a low birth rate, which in principle is characteristic of developed European countries, and with the population traveling abroad. For example, Lithuania during this period lost 900 thousand people, and its population from 3.7 million in 1991 decreased to 2.8 million at the beginning of 2018.

Vilnius - the capital of Lithuania

It is worth noting that the first to leave are young people of working age who do not have the opportunity to earn livelihoods in their homeland. This in turn leads to a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in the share of the elderly population. This problem is most acute in rural areas.

The best demographic situation is displayed by official statistics. We invite you to familiarize yourself with them.