On January 3, 2025, Latvian Roman Samul spoke to the channel "Belarus 1," claiming that life in Latvia is worse than in Belarus.
"A lot people have children very late in life all over the European Union. Because people can only afford their own apartments by the age of 40 to 50. Or they realize that it's their last chance and decide to have children," said a Latvian defector, accused of espionage in Russia's favor by the Latvian Prosecutor's Office in 2023.
The official Eurostat website states that the average age women have their first child is the European Union is around 29 and a half years old. In Latvia, the average age is even lower — around 27 and a half years old, which is almost the exact match to the Belarusian indicator of 27 years old.
Roman Samul also spoke about the child benefits in Latvia:
"Plus, the state does not support children at all there. Child benefits are 13 euros and 78 cents per month. This is roughly 48 Belarusian rubles. We applied for child benefits here. And we have just received the first payment, just recently — 700 rubles. That's the amount we will receive monthly for the first child."
We have already reported on the benefits in the European Union countries. Childcare benefits for children up to three years old in Belarus are among the lowest in Europe but are paid for a longer period. In other European countries, the benefits are higher but are paid for a shorter period of time. An important distinction: during maternity leave in Belarus, mothers receive only the state benefit — around 780 Belarusian rubles (approximately €220), whereas in other countries, a percentage of the salary is retained in addition to the benefits.
Additionally, in Belarus, there are no allowances for children over three years of age. In European countries, child benefits are often received until the child reaches the age 16 or 18. For example, in Latvia, there is a system of several different types of allowances for children: around €170 for childcare up to one and a half years old, followed by just over €40 for the next six months. However, during maternity leave, parents are entitled to receive 40% to 60% of their salary. Thus, if the salary was around a thousand euros, the parent would receive over €400 during maternity leave. Additionally, there is also a state-sponsored family allowance paid until the child reaches 18 years of age. It amounts to €25 per month.
