In the Baltics, Emigration and Demographic Decline

Declining fertility rates and increasing life expectancies have led to aging, shrinking populations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This demographic picture can be found in most European countries, but in the Baltics, the issue has been exacerbated by particularly high rates of emigration, creating a host of economic, political and social challenges. With higher numbers of elderly people and fewer young workers to support them, for example, regional governments will be saddled with increasing fiscal demands. The Baltic states will also be under increasing demographic pressure from neighboring countries and struggle to balance the need to themselves attract foreign workers while preserving indigenous cultural identities. These trends are unlikely to be reversed, forcing Baltic leaders to focus on mitigating the effects of the ongoing demographic shifts.