Latvian citizenship exam questions · 5 questions
Population of Latvia
Latvijas iedzīvotāji
Population size and why it is falling, the ancient peoples Latvians descend from, the largest minorities, and how the share of Latvians changed during the Soviet occupation.
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1.Kāds ir aptuvenais Latvijas iedzīvotāju skaits?
What is Latvia's approximate population?
Answer: Apmēram 2 miljoni (eksāmena atbilde); faktiski mazāk — 2026. gada sākumā 1,845 milj.
About 2 million (the expected exam answer); the actual figure is lower — 1.845 million at the start of 2026.
Population changes each year. Distinguish a rounded teaching figure from statistics tied to a specific date. Population includes residents with other citizenships, so it is not the same as the total number of Latvian citizens.
Source and further reading: Nacionālā enciklopēdija · Iedzīvotāju skaits Latvijā
2.Kādi apstākļi šobrīd nosaka Latvijas iedzīvotāju skaita samazināšanos?
What factors are currently driving the decline of Latvia's population?
Answer: Zema dzimstība, augsta mirstība un iedzīvotāju emigrācija (izceļošana darba meklējumos).
Low birth rate, high mortality, and emigration.
Two balances matter: births versus deaths and arrivals versus departures. Population falls when total losses exceed gains. Population ageing also changes the needs of schools, healthcare and the pension system.
Source and further reading: Nacionālā enciklopēdija · Iedzīvotāju skaits Latvijā
3.Kuras ir Latvijas pamattautas?
Who are Latvia's indigenous peoples?
Answer: Kurši, zemgaļi, latgaļi, sēļi un lībieši (senās tautas, no kurām izveidojās latvieši).
The Cours, Semigallians, Latgalians, Selonians, and Livs (ancient peoples from whom the Latvians formed).
Curonians, Semigallians, Latgalians and Selonians were Baltic peoples; Livs were Finnic. Latvian identity developed over time, not in a single event. Interaction among these peoples left traces in place names, language and regional traditions.
Source and further reading: Nacionālā enciklopēdija · Latgaļi un latviešu tautas veidošanās
4.Kuras ir lielākās nacionālās minoritātes (mazākumtautības) Latvijā?
What are Latvia's largest national minorities?
Answer: Krievi, baltkrievi, ukraiņi, poļi un lietuvieši.
The largest national minorities are Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, and Lithuanians.
An ethnic minority is a community, not a citizenship category. Someone of Russian or Polish background may be a Latvian citizen. Statistics distinguish ethnicity, citizenship and home language because they describe different characteristics.
Source and further reading: Nacionālā enciklopēdija · Latvija · Iedzīvotāji
5.Kā padomju okupācijas gados izmainījās latviešu īpatsvars Latvijas iedzīvotāju vidū?
How did the share of ethnic Latvians in the population change during the years of Soviet occupation?
Answer: Latviešu īpatsvars būtiski samazinājās lielas iebraucēju imigrācijas un represiju (deportāciju) dēļ.
The share of ethnic Latvians shrank significantly due to mass immigration and repressions (deportations).
A population share is a proportion of the total. Latvian losses and emigration, together with large-scale immigration from elsewhere in the USSR, reduced it. This also changed language use in towns and workplaces, not just the numerical composition of the population.
Source and further reading: Nacionālā enciklopēdija · Latvija · Iedzīvotāji