RIGA, Jan 7 (LETA) - Over the last ten years, the birth rate in Latvia's second largest city, Daugavpils, has seen a dramatic decline, with the total number of births dropping by almost 45 percent, LETA learned from the local government.

In 2025, 432 babies were born in Daugavpils, which is 58 newborns fewer than in 2024, according to data compiled by the Daugavpils City Registry Office.

Daugavpils recorded 778 births in 2016, and in 2017, the figure rose to a decade high with 796 newborns. Since then, the birth rate has been steadily declining, with 674 births recorded in 2018, 662 in 2019, and 627 in 2020.

The decline continued during the following five years, with 612 children born in Daugavpils in 2021, 543 in 2022, 485 in 2023, and 490 in 2024.

In 2025, Daugavpils recorded 810 deaths.

Although mortality rates have been declining in recent years, the death rate is still almost twice the birth rate. According to the city's mortality statistics, 1,290 deaths were registered in 2021, 1,114 in 2022, 901 in 2023, and 801 in 2024.

According to the local authority, the decline in the birth rate Daugavpils is influenced by both the general aging of the population and the decline in the reproductive age population, which is linked to the demographic processes of previous decades and migration.