Archive:Marriages and births in Latvia/lv
Marriage and fertility rates keep improving in Latvia
- Author: Elmīra Seņkāne
- Data extracted in June 2015.
This article presents the key statistical indicators on marriages and the number of births in Latvia during the time period from 2000 - 2013. Over the past decade the number of the Latvian population and its structure has changed significantly, which has had a negative impact also on marriage and fertility rates. Only during the last three to four years, demographic indicators have been improving, which is related to the fact that the generation which was born in the middle of the eighties has reached typical age for marriage and childbearing. The highest fertility rates during the last 50 years were registered in 1986 - 1988. In 2013 the number of marriages per 1 000 population as compared to 2000 had increased 1.6 times, and fertility rate - 1.3 times.
Source: Eurostat (demo_pjanmarsta)
Source: Eurostat (demo_nind)
Source: Eurostat (demo_nind) (demo_ndivind)
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Source: Eurostat (demo_ndivdur)
Source: Eurostat (demo_find) (demo_nind)
Source: Eurostat (demo_find) (demo_pjan)
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Source: Eurostat (demo_fordagec)
Main statistical findings
27 % of population aged over 20 are single
According to the results of Population and Housing Census 2011, 777.4 thsd or 37.6 % of the Latvian population were married, 859.9 thsd or 41.5 % were single, 247.9 thsd or 12.0 % were divorced, and 185.2 thsd or 8.9% - widowed. In the age group over 20, 46.9 % of the population were married, and 26.9 % - single, 15.0 % were divorced, and 11.2 % of the people over 20 years were widowed. The age at first marriage has been increasing each year. According to Census 2011, out of married persons 6 % of males and 9 % of females were aged 20-29 which is by 2 percentage points less than in Census 2000 (8 % and 11 %, respectively).
The share of married people in 2012 as compared to 2011 has slightly decreased: in the age group over 20 years, 46.3 % of the population were married.
Almost 10 % of the Latvian population over 20 years of age live in consensual union without legal basis
According to the Census 2011 results, 152 thsd people or 9.2 % of the population aged over 20 who lived in the same household were cohabiting partners, whose relations were not officially registered.
Number of marriages and age at first marriage keep growing
2013, 11 436 marriages were registered in Latvia, which was 1.7 % more than in 2012, and 35.9 % more than in 2000. In 2013, crude marriage rate or the number of marriages concluded per 1 000 population was 5.7 (in 2012 - 5.5 marriages). In 2007 there was the largest number of marriages registered during the last 14 years: 15 486 marriages, and crude marriage rate was 7.0. By contrast, the smallest number of marriages was entered into in 2000 – 9 211 marriages, and crude marriage rate dropped to 3.9. In recent years, the age at first marriage has increased significantly. If in 2002 the age at first marriage was 27 years for men and 25 years for women, then in 2013 men registered their first marriage at the age of 31, and women - at the age of 28.
Number of divorces is relatively high in Latvia
7 031 marriages were divorced in Latvia in 2013, and crude divorce rate or the number divorces per 1 000 population was 3.5. There were on average 60 divorces per 100 registered marriages. Compared to 2012, the number of divorced marriages decreased by 3.8 %. In turn, the smallest number of divorces was registered in 2003 - 4 828 divorces, and crude divorce rate was 2.1. The number of divorces reached its peak in 2011. On 1 February 2011 amendments to the Latvian legislation took effect entitling sworn notaries the right to divorce marriage. It made the divorce process easier and faster, and in 2011 the number of divorces increased significantly (by 68.4 % as compared to 2010).
Since 2000, the share of divorced marriages which have lasted for 20 and more years has increased significantly - from 16 % of the divorces in 2000, to 28 % and 30 % in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Number of births and mean age of mother at childbearing have been increasing
Over the past three years, fertility rate has been improving in Latvia. 20.6 thousand children were born in 2013. Crude birth rate was 10.2, compared to 8.6 live births in 2000. The highest birth rates were registered in 1986 - 1987, when the number of births was twice as large - an average of 42 thousand babies a year. The mean age of mother at childbearing in 2013 was 29.6 years, at birth of first child- 26.1 years. By contrast, in 2000 the mean age of mother at childbearing was 27.3 years, at birth of first child - 24 years. One of the reasons for the increase in birth rate is that women who were born in the middle of the eighties, when birth rate was the highest, have reached their childbearing age. At the beginning of 2014, out of all women of childbearing age (15-49 years) 30 % were 25-34 years old (at the beginning of 2000 - 27 %).
An indicator characterising generation replacement is total fertility rate (the number of live births per woman). In Latvia this indicator grew to 1.52 in 2013 (in 2000 - 1.24); however, it is still lagging behind the considered replacement level, namely 2.1-2.2. Last time total fertility rate 2.2 was registered in 1986 - 1987.
Fertility rate among younger women has been decreasing. In the eighties the highest fertility rate was registered among women aged 20-24: 150-170 live births per 1 000 women. In 2000, fertility rate among 1 000 women of this age group was two times lower - 79 live births, and in 2013 only 56 live births per 1 000 women. Fertility rate among women aged 25-29 has increased from 80 live births per 1 000 women in 2000 to 95 live births in 2013. Since 2000 in the age group 30 - 44 the number of live births per 1 000 women has increased two times on average. In recent years, the number of second and third children in the total number of births has been growing in Latvia; for example, the share of second children out of the total number of births rose from 32 % in 2000 to 37 % in 2013. In 2000, out of all children born to women aged 20-34, 35 % were second children, in 2013 - 38 %.
In 2013, 55 % of children were born to parents who were officially married. In 2000 this figure was 60 %, while in the eighties the share of children born in registered marriage was close to 90 %. Increasingly more often marriage is concluded when there already is one or several children in the family. In 2000 the age of women at first marriage was 0.9 years higher than the age of women at birth of first child, but in 2013 the gap had already reached 2.2 years.
Context
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See also
External links
- CSB of Latvia publications