During the nineties the Iron Curtain was destroyed and Latvia switched from communism to capitalism. The country opened its markets to the west and lots of new products entered the stores and streets of the Baltic state. With more western products came a more western lifestyle with more western advertising, more western food and more western soft drinks. Tooth decay increased significantly, as did obesity. The number of Latvian inhabitants decreased to the 1.9 million of today, the same amount the country had back in 1950.