Over the last decade, due to lower birth rates and higher death rates and due to migration, the number of residents in Riga has decreased. At present, there are 753 thousand inhabitants in Riga which constitutes 33 % of the country's total population and 48 % of the total urban population in Latvia (see Table 16 and Figure 48   ). Thus, it can be seen that most of the country's population and economic potential is concentrated in Riga which puts a burden on the city and its adjacent territories.

The demographic ratio per 1000 inhabitants in Riga (i.e., the difference between the birth and the death rates in the reference period) was -6.1 in 2000 (see Figure 50 ). This figure is lower than  in the rest of Latvia (-5.1) as well as in the capitals of the other Baltic countries.  The birth rate in Riga in 1998 was 0.858 (1.110 in Latvia) with is considerably short of the rate needed for maintaining a stable demographic situation.

As compared to 1992, the share of inhabitants below the working age has fallen against the share of inhabitants beyond the working age. The share of economically active inhabitants, i.e., those of working age, has remained the same. In 2001, 23.1% of inhabitants of Riga were beyond the working age . With the present demographic trends, the number of people over the working age would go up which would lead to social tensions and compound problems in the social sphere.

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