The Baltic countries are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They are located in northeastern Europe and bordered by Russia and Belarus to the east, Poland and Russia to the south, and the Baltic Sea to the west and north.
Estonia has 1.3 million inhabitants, Latvia: 1.8 million and Lithuania: 2.8 million. Between the three of them they have an area of about 175,000 km2 and their currency is the Euro. More than a million people have left the Baltic countries since the fall of the former Soviet Union in 1991.
While each country has its own official languages, the main binding language is Russian, which can be spoken by more than 1.8 million people in the Baltic countries. The integration of the Russianspeaking population into societies is an important challenge for governments and communities. For its part, English has become an important language for commerce, education and tourism in the Baltic countries in recent years.
The Baltic countries are eminently Christian, with Lutheranism, Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity as the main cults. There are very few Jews and Muslims in these countries, between them 0.3% of the population. Nonbelievers range around 16%.
The Baltic countries were part of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991. They became independent in 1991 and have been parliamentary democracies ever since. The Baltic countries are members of the European Union and NATO since 2004.
The literacy rate in the Baltic countries is 99%.
Primary and secondary education is free and compulsory.
The health system is universal and free. However, the main social problems in the Baltic countries are unemployment, poverty and emigration.
There is no precise data on the percentage of Baltic women who marry foreigners.
However, it is estimated that around 10% of marriages in the Baltic countries are mixed marriages.
The main countries of origin of foreign spouses are:
Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Meanwhile, the countries to which women from the Baltic countries prefer to emigrate are: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
The Baltic countries see Russia as a threat to their security and are concerned about regional instability: The war in Ukraine is a daily topic in the Baltic countries.
Friends and enemies of the Baltic countries:
Friends: European Union, United States, NATO and Nordic countries.
The future of the Baltic countries is uncertain. Added to the emigration that does not stop after the start of the war in Ukraine is a drop in tourism, investment flows and the need to replace dependence on Russian energy. Furthermore, the Baltic countries need to strengthen their security and that affects the budget.
Economic growth in the Baltic countries has been slow in recent years and inflation has had relevant peaks. Although governments are trying to improve the business climate and attract foreign investment, economic and, above all, geopolitical conditions create a difficult situation.
The percentage of foreign workers in the Baltic countries is low. In 2023, there were around 30,000 foreign workers in the Baltic countries.
The main countries of origin of foreign workers are:
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Lithuania.

#openyourwindowtotheworld #ViajarEsHipervivir
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I am Gustavo Llusá, Argentine, after traveling for several years through more than 65 countries I settled in Latvia where I married Dace and learned to know another way of life, on the other side of the map.

COMMENT AND OPINION