Smoking rates in Latvia are rising again after a decade of decline, LSM reports. Children are starting to smoke at a younger age, with a notable increase in electronic cigarette use among those aged 15-24 years. Public health experts highlight the misconception among parents that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional ones. They emphasise…
Latvia’s tax revenue totalled EUR 3.325bn in the first quarter of 2024, which was EUR 40.7mn (1.2%) less than planned, according to Finance Ministry data, LETA reports. Tax revenue was EUR 109.2mn (3.4%) higher than in the first quarter of 2023, however. General state budget tax revenues totalled EUR 3.126bn, which was 1.1% short of…
Estonia’s GDP dropped by 2.1% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, according to Statistics Estonia’s flash estimate, Baltic News Network reported. The GDP decline thus slowed down, the preliminary data showed. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, the seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP remained unchanged.
The number of job vacancies rose in Lithuania but dropped in Latvia and Estonia in 2023, BNS reported. The number of vacancies increased by 5.7% in Lithuania, but decreased by 6.1% in Latvia and 14% in Estonia. Out of the total number of jobs, both occupied and vacant, the share of vacancies stood at 2.7%…
Latvia’s State Police registered 781 road traffic accidents involving pedestrians in 2023, which was 60 more than in 2022, Baltic News Network reports. Of the total number of cases, 576 resulted in light injuries, 64 in severe injuries, and 30 in fatalities. Drunk driving and carelessness were the main reasons for the accidents, according to…
Lithuania has altogether 2,266 stateless residents, of whom 2,151 have permanent residence permits, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), LRT reports. In 2018, the number of stateless people totalled 3,193. Most of the stateless residents are persons who failed to apply for citizenship after Lithuania regained its independence in 1991. Stateless persons…
The unadjusted gender pay gap in the Baltic States was highest in Estonia in 2022, according to Eurostat data, LSM reported. In Estonia, women’s average gross hourly wage was 21.3% lower than that of men in 2022, which was up from 20.5% in 2021. The gender pay gap stood at 17.1% (14.6%) in Latvia and…
Estonia’s GDP totalled EUR 37.7 billion at current prices in 2023, which was down 3% from 2022, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reported. Robert Müürsepp, national accounts team lead at Statistics Estonia, said that Estonia’s economy was in broad-based recession in 2023, with decline recorded in most major sectors. Information and communication had…
Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, ranked the highest in the Baltic States on Serbian database Numbeo’s Quality of Life index in 2024, BNS reported. Tallinn ranked 17th out of 195 cities worldwide. Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, ranked 36th on the index, while the Latvian capital, Riga, ranked 88th. Numbeo’s index assesses various factors affecting quality of life, including…