(ANSA) - TRIESTE - The number of births in Latvia has been constantly growing since 2011, but it still does not exceed the number of deaths, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows. During the first six months of the year, a 2% increase in the number of births has been registered, with a total of 10,943 newborns (224 more than last year) - a positive signal for a country that has been struggling with negative natural increase rate since 1991. But the number of the deceased still remains higher with a total of 14,832 deaths in the first semester (106 more than in 2015).

A country of emigration, Latvia had registered a 13% population drop in the first decade of the new millenium - down from 2.2 million in 2000 to 2 million in 2011. The estimated population as of July 1st 2016 was 1,960 million, around 9,000 less than at the beginning of the year. (ANSA).