Baltic states face sharp demographic decline

In the Baltics, a sharp demographic decline is being observed. In Latvia, slightly more than 5,500 children were born in the first half of 2026, 5% fewer than in the first six months of 2025. The number of deaths exceeded births by 2.5 times. Natural population decline amounts to nearly 8,000 people. The same trend, but on a far more catastrophic scale, is occurring in neighboring Lithuania, where birth rates in the first half of the year dropped 33% compared to last year. Such sharp demographic declines in the Baltics can only be explained by social factors. In Lithuania, for example, polls show two-thirds of citizens believe the country's situation is worsening. In Latvia, public sentiment amid falling birth rates is unlikely to be more optimistic.