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Latvia Subnational The Situation of Children and Young People at the Regional Level in Latvia Prepared by Latvia Country Statistical Team Co-ordinator: Edmunds Vaskis Central Statistical Bureau, Riga MONEE Country Analytical Report November 2004 The project to monitor the impact of economic and social change on children in Eastern and Central Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (MONEE) was initiated at the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in 1992. The project seeks to monitor, analyse and disseminate information on economic and social trends affecting children’s rights and wellbeing in countries in the region. A key feature of the Project is a network of correspondents in the 27 National Statistical Offices (NSOs). On an annual basis these correspondents complete an extensive data template which in turn is used for calculating indicators, supporting research of the project and, in due course, being made publicly available as the TransMonee database and in tables and graphs of the Innocenti Social Monitor. For a number of years, each participating NSO prepared a Country Analytical Report based on extensive outline from UNICEF IRC on a different theme on the situation of children every year. These analytical reports have provided valuable input into the research at UNICEF IRC and, as significantly, have also served as important national documents on monitoring aspects of child wellbeing in the countries. Some of these Country Analytical Reports have been issued by the NSOs (in the national language) as part of their publication programme. UNICEF IRC attaches great value to these national assessments of the situation of children and is committed to promote the efforts, including through translating the reports into English (where the submitted report has been in Russian) and offering its website to make them accessible to a wider research audience. The Country Analytical Reports are owned and authored by the National Statistical Offices and are not the intellectual property of UNICEF (see below). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or view of UNICEF. The text has not been edited for official publication standards and UNICEF accepts no responsibility for errors. The designations in this publication do not imply an opinion on legal status of any country or territory, or of its authorities, or the delimitation of frontiers. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia MONEE COUNTRY ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 SOCIAL MONITOR: WELLBEING OF CHILDREN IN REGIONS OF LATVIA RIGA 2004 LATVIA MONEE ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 4 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia The report “ Social monitor: Wellbeing of children in regions of Latvia” was prepared by the staff of the Central Statistical Bureau, Latvian Statistical Institute, Local Government Consultations Centre: Specific socio-economic features of the regions OĜă erts Krasti Ħš Valent īna Loc āne Population and Demographic change Elm īra Se Ħkāne Regional living standards Zaiga Priede Intars Abraž ūns Ed īte Miez īte Baiba Zukula Vida Lukaševi ča Ilze L āce Education Baiba Zukula Health Dace Krievkalne Government finance Inga Vilka Jolanta Supe Editor Edmunds Vaskis Publisher in Chief Solveiga Sili Ħa Responsible for the English translation Zane Ozola Explanation of symbols - Zero … Data not available or too uncertain for presentation 5 LATVIA MONEE ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4 Part I SPECIFIC SOCIO -ECONOMIC FEATURES OF THE REGIONS ........................................................ 6 Part II POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES ......................................................................... 10 Part III REGIONAL STANDARDS OF LIVING ........................................................................................ 13 Employment, wages and salaries ................................................................................. 13 On the welfare of families with children in Latvia ....................................................... 14 Aspects of social infrastructure in regions ................................................................... 15 Part IV EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................17 Part V HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE.................................................................................................. 20 Healthcare resources .................................................................................................. 20 Immunisation ................................................................................................................ 21 Part VI GOVERNMENT FINANCE ........................................................................................................ 23 Local government economic resources and priorities concerning children ................ 23 The Government’s regional policy ............................................................................... 25 ANNEX I.................................................................................................................................... 27 ANNEX II .................................................................................................................................. 29 ANNEX III ................................................................................................................................. 31 LATVIA MONEE ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 6 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia INTRODUCTION Through the centuries Latvia has been divided into regions. In the Middle Ages the country’s various regions belonged to different feudal territorial formations, for example, the Duchy of Courland (covering roughly the present-day territories of Kurzeme and Zemgale) and Livonia (covering Riga, Vidzeme and Estonia). Although ethnically being part of Latvia, Latgale before World War I was incorporated into the Vitebsk province of the Russian Empire. This is due to the fact that in beginning in the 13 th century, parts of Latvia were administered by the Teutonic Knights before coming under Polish and Swedish rule. In the 18 th century Russia acquired the whole territory of Latvia. As of the beginning of 2004, the country is divided into 5 statistical regions that correspond to the NUTS level 3 criteria accepted by the Statistical Office of the European Community EUROSTAT. Accordingly, these regions form the basis of the analysis in the Report (see the Map below). Vidzeme Kurzeme Zemgale Latgale Latvia Riga region region region region region Resident population, beginning of 2004 2 319 203 940 787 350 582 313 334 345 349 369 151 Population density per km 2 ,beginning of 2004 35.9 265.8 17.8 23.0 26.2 25.4 Area, km 2, at the beginning of 2004 64 588.7 3 539.3 19 702.7 13 600.8 13 198.7 14 547.2 Natural increase of population, 2003 -11 431 -3 977 -1 639 -1 218 -1 326 -3 271 Demographic burden, beginning of 2004 591 558 631 618 604 604 Number of employees, at the end of 2003 744 742 398 799 84 826 87 085 81 894 91 581 Gross monthly wage and salary in 2003, LVL 192.49 217.82 153.04 171.15 155.03 139.70 Registered unemployment rate, 2003 8.6 4.9 8.6 9.9 9.3 17.8 Share of job seekers in 2003 10.6 10.3 8.8 9.5 9.4 15.5 GDP per capita in 2003, at current prices, LVL 2 433 3 863 1 382 2 015 1 350 1 176 7 LATVIA MONEE ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia According to a view circulating among experts in Latvia, there are two different Latvias today - Riga and the remaining regions of Latvia. The data on regions given above and the graph below indirectly confirm this view. The region of Riga has a favourable geographical position at the centre of Latvia and the Baltic countries. It is located at the edge of the Gulf of Riga on the Baltic Sea. Since ancient times Riga has been the centre of the Baltic and one of the largest cities of the Russian Empire of that time. By the population size, economic and many other indicators Riga is the metropolis of the Baltic countries. The city has the highest potential in economic, social, cultural, educational and other areas not only in Latvia but also in the entire Baltic. Apart from Riga, the western and central parts of Latvia that might correspond to the regions of Kurzeme and Zemgale have historically always been better developed. The Region of Latgale is situated in the southeastern part of Latvia, and has a long external border with Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. Of the six statistical regions of Latvia, only Riga with 138% exceeds the average level of the ten new member states of the European Union. Of this, the overall average indicator of Latvia represents 76% and of Kurzeme 63% while that of the poorest region Latgale is only 37%. Regrettably, the average level of all EU member states is still unattainable to Latvia. Graph 1 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTS PER CAPITA IN 2002, BY PURCHASING PARITY STANDARDS (provisional calculation according to Eurostat forecasts) A variety of social and economic problems influencing family wellbeing and also the welfare of children still persist in Latvia’s regions. These problems are discussed more in detail in the chapters of this Report. LATVIA MONEE ANALYTICAL REPORT 2004 8 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia Part I SPECIFIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC FEATURES OF THE REGIONS PROF . O. KRASTI ĥŠ AND V. LOC ĀNE , LATVIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Globally and also on the European
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