Even though the number of ethnic Latvians continues to decrease, their proportion to other groups in Latvia has nudged up, according to new data released by the Rīga-based Central Statistical Bureau.

A total of 1,340,143 ethnic Latvians lived in the country last year, the data show, or about 3,000 fewer than in 2008. The total represented 59.3 percent of the population, up 0.1 percentage point from 2008.

Before World War II, ethnic Latvians totaled more than 1.46 million and made up 77 percent of the country’s population, according to 1935 data. Because of wartime losses, population decline due to refugees who became exiles, and Soviet efforts at Russification of the Baltic region, by 1989 the ethnic Latvian proportion had dropped to 52 percent.

In Rīga, Latvians represented 63 percent of the city’s population in 1935. By 1989, ethnic Latvians made up just 36.5 percent of the population. Last year, the Latvian proportion stood at 42.3 percent.

Latvia’s total population last year stood at 2.26 million, according to the statistical bureau. Besides Latvians, other ethnic groups in the population are Russians (27.8 percent of the total), Belarussians (3.6 percent), Ukrainians (2.5 percent), Poles (2.4 percent), Lithuanians (1.3 percent), Jews (0.4 percent), Gypsies (0.4 percent), Germans (0.2 percent) and Estonians (0.1 percent). Other ethnic groups, and those who did not report their ethnic identity, made up 2 percent of the population.

A short video created by a 25-year-old Latvian about the importance of recycling to society has won a grand prize in a contest sponsored by the U.S. State Department, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Rīga has announced.

Gints Amoliņš, who works as foreign news correspondent for Latvian State Radio, won the prize in the second annual ExchangesConnect video contest. His video, “[?] CYCLE,” was entered in the category for international contestants older than 18.

The theme of the contest was “Change Your Climate, Change Our World.” Each video had to be no longer than two minutes.

The video created by Amoliņš presents several facts about recycling and includes a shot of the Rīga skyline.

The contest was organized by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. As a grand prize winner, Amoliņš will receive an all-expense-paid, two-week cultural exchange program to the United States, according to contest rules.

From all entries, 40 finalists were selected.  The video by Amoliņš was one of two from Latvia to make it into the Top 40. The other one was “Legacy,” created by Zigmunds Ziemelis.

Other grand prize winners in the contest were Bruna Monteiro do Nascimento of Brzail in the “International, 14-17” category; Lan Li in the “United States, 18+” category; and Rebekah Austin in the “United States, 14-17” category.

The video created by Amoliņš may be viewed by visiting connectcontest.state.gov.