Latvia declared itself independent from the Soviet Union on 21 August 1991. It had an estimated population of 2.35 million in 2000, down by over 10% since 1992; in the intervening period the birth rate had fallen and the death rate had increased. Some 72% of the population live in urban areas and the capital, Riga, has a population of 856,000. Less than 15% of the population is age over 65, but the proportion has been increasing since 1987. In 1999 Latvians accounted for 55.7% of the population; followed by Russians (32.3%), Belarusians (3.9%), Ukrainians (2.9%), Poles (2.2%) and Lithuanians (1.3%). There are some complex issues of citizenship9, following fears that Latvians might become a minority in their own country. Russian remains the first language for 42% of the population. The largest religious group is Lutheran, followed by Roman Catholic.
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