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Latvia
Official language: Latvian
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Demographics of Latvia
Latvia's population has been multiethnic for centuries, though the demographics shifted dramatically in the twentieth century due to the World Wars, the emigration and removal of Baltic Germans, the Holocaust, and occupation by the Soviet Union. Total population is 2,375,000 (2000 census).
Ethnic groups percentage is as follow: Latvians 60.0%, Russians 27.3%, Belarusians 3.7%, Ukrainians 2.5%, Poles 2.4%, Lithuanians 1.4%, other 2.7% (Jews, Roma, Germans, others ) (2005).
Languages
The official language of Latvia is Latvian (58.2%). Russian which was widely spoken during the Soviet occupation, and also during the Russian Imperial period is by far the most widespread minority language and also known by the majority of older Latvians (37.5%). Other minority language groups (4.3%) are English, German, Polish, Estonian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian.
Latvian National Institutions for Language
Valsts valodas komisija - State Language Commission
Ina Druviete
Chancery of the President of Latvia
LV-1900 Riga, Latvia
+371-729 21 89
ina.druviete@saeima.lv
Valsts valodas aģentūra - State Language Agency
Janis Valdmanis, Director
Lāčplēša iela 35-5, LV-1011 Riga,
Latvia
(+ 371) 67201680
janis.valdmanis@valoda.lv
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