FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG 54 Table 2 International long-term immigration by country group, Latvia TOTAL EU28 EU15 EU candidate countries EFTA Other countries CIS 2004 4,844 1,926 984 12 58 2,848 2,233 2005 6,691 1,648 913 16 51 4,976 4,294 2006 8,212 2,383 1,528 11 57 5,761 5,160 2007 7,517 3,433 1,947 60 95 3,929 3,100 2008 4,678 2,955 1,598 12 76 1,635 1,211 2009 3,731 1,712 1,119 41 83 1,895 1,552 2010 4,011 1,524 1,060 43 51 2,393 1,998 2011 10,234 6,271 5,597 88 319 3,556 2,876 2012 13,303 7,305 6,232 87 282 5,629 4,771 2013 8,299 4,794 4,211 40 295 3,170 2,572 The distribution of highly educated emigrants by desti­nation country is as follows(Hazans 2013): United Kingdom 28 per cent, Ireland 15 per cent, continental Europe 30 per cent and other 36 per cent. 6.4 ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EMIGRATION At the time of EU accession, the population of Latvia was considerably younger than the average of the old EU member states. However, due to low fertility rate in the 1990s gener­ational replacement has become much slower in Latvia than in many other parts of the EU and, compounded with the emigration of young people, Latvia’s population is not only quickly ageing, but also shrinking. From 2004 to 2013 the number of people in Latvia decreased from 2.28 million to 2 million, and projections show that it will diminish further to 1.63 million by 2030(see Figure 1). At the regional level, the trends are even more worrisome. The Riga(capital) region comprises more than one-third of Latvia’s population and has been a traditional destination for young people from other parts of the country. Consequently, because of external and internal migration and demographic decline, between 2004 and 2013 the number of people decreased by 18 per cent in Latgale region, 15 per cent in Vidzeme region and 14 per cent in Kurzeme region. At the same time, the old age dependency ratio became much higher in these regions, and there are already a few counties in which retired people comprise one-third of the population. Potential emigration from Latvia remains very high. Although gradually diminishing, the gap in income levels between Latvia and the EU15 countries remains considerable. Thus, in 2014 the minimum statutory wage in Latvia was 360 euros, while in the EU15 it was around 1,400 euros. Moreover, almost every Latvian household has a family member or a friend abroad, which makes departure much easier for those who have stayed at home, as family members and friends can help them to find an appropriate job abroad. Hazans(2011) describes this as an effective migrant network which will continue to exert its influence for years to come (see Figure 2). 6.5 POLICY RESPONSE The Latvian government has become more attentive to the problem of outmigration and eventual shortages of labour since the 2011 national census. In response to the shocking figures on emigration and demographic decline revealed by the census(see the section on statistics in this chapter), the government prioritised strengthening the capacity of the public administration to communicate with émigrés and sup­port to Latvian diaspora communities abroad. Moreover, the government has supported the establishment of the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research at the University of Latvia, which opened in 2014. The government has also com­missioned a wide-ranging scientific project entitled»Latvian émigré communities: national identity, transnational relations and diaspora policy«. 3 In the course of this project, which started in January 2014 and is ongoing, 14,068 people of Latvian descent were interviewed in 118 countries. Its aim is to provide comprehensive and generalisable data on Latvian emigrant communities. 6.6 IMMIGRATION TO LATVIA Immigration to Latvia is increasing, roughly in accordance with the EU average of 0.4 per cent of population, although it does not match emigration from Latvia. However, a large proportion of those who immigrate are repatriating Latvian nationals or third-country nationals. Thus, in 2012, out of 13,303 immigrants 7,305 arrived from EU28 countries(6,232 from EU15) and 5,629 from non-European countries(see Table 2). Yet, according to Eurostat data, 4 out of 13,303 arrivals Latvian nationals accounted for 9,637 or 72 per cent. Third-country nationals numbered 3,127 or 23.5 per cent, while EU15 countries accounted for a mere 223 or just 1.7 per cent. What is more, supposedly the majority of non-Latvian immigrants to Latvia from EU28 were from neighbouring Lithuania and Estonia. 3 For more details see http://www.slideshare.net/lufsi/latvijas-emigrantu­kopienas-pirmo-ptjuma-rezulttu-apkopojums. 4 See Eurostat data table»Immigration by five year age group, sex and citizenship[migr-imm1ctz]«.