Latvia

                             LATVIA

A. THE COUNTRY

Latvia is the central of the three Baltic republics in Northern Europe.
It’s government is a parliamentary multiparty democracy with notable
corruption.  Latvia has high inflation, external debt, and a trade
deficit. A lack of natural resources has forced the country to develop
an industrialized economy and a liberalized, privatized market economy.
Despite the robust economy, the growing gap between rich and poor is a
major issue.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~2,240,000 and official language Latvian (Lettish).
There are social problems: alcohol, drugs, a rapidly growing sex trade,
high abortion rate, and the world’s fourth highest suicide rate.
~98.7% are European (Baltic ~59.1%, Slavic ~38.9%, Other ~0.7%), ~1.3%
All other.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

There is a prevalent attitude of spiritual apathy, even of hopelessness.
While Christianity is characterized mostly by nominalism, “Christian”
and pagan cults are spreading.
~60% claim to be Christian, ~38.44% Non-religious, ~0.9% Other, ~0.42%
Muslim, ~0.24% Jewish.
In the Christian category:
~21.81% are Protestant, ~18.08% Catholic, ~15.46% Orthodox, ~4.27%
Independent, ~0.1% Unaffiliated.
Evangelicals represent ~7% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~3.2% and of those ~0.4% are Pentecostals.
Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.