ABSTRACT
The profile of migration rates in the Baltic states has gradually shifted from one of net immigration to one of net emigration. Although each of the Baltic states experienced positive net migration during the period leading up to and comprising the Soviet era, a series of demographic shifts has since altered the migratory dynamics of the region. The historically less populous countries of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are today facing considerable demographic challenges, as decreasing fertility rates, increasing mortality rates and population aging are coupled with high rates of emigration. As Krisjane, Berzins and Bauls (2009) observed, migration across the region is expanding under circumstances of depopulation.
