Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795 when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into West European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. In 2015, Lithuania joined the euro zone, and it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018.
land: 62,680 sq km
water: 2,620 sq km
border countries (4): Belarus 640 km; Latvia 544 km; Poland 100 km; Russia (Kaliningrad) 261 km
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 110 m
arable land: 34.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 9.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 34.6% (2018 est.)
other: 20.6% (2018 est.)
2,655,755 (2023 est.)
noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian
Lithuanian 84.6%, Polish 6.5%, Russian 5%, Belarusian 1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.8% (2021 est.)
Lithuanian (official) 85.3%, Russian 6.8%, Polish 5.1%, other 1.1%, two mother tongues 1.7% (2021 est.)
major-language sample(s):
Pasaulio enciklopedija – naudingas bendrosios informacijos šaltinis. (Lithuanian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 74.2%, Russian Orthodox 3.7%, Old Believer 0.6%, Evangelical Lutheran 0.6%, Evangelical Reformist 0.2%, other (including Sunni Muslim, Jewish, Greek Catholic, and Karaite) 0.9%, none 6.1%, unspecified 13.7% (2021 est.)
0-14 years: 15.3% (male 208,669/female 197,728)
15-64 years: 63.11% (male 821,319/female 854,763)
65 years and over: 21.59% (2023 est.) (male 197,217/female 376,059)
total dependency ratio: 55.7
youth dependency ratio: 23.6
elderly dependency ratio: 32.1
potential support ratio: 3.1 (2021 est.)
total: 45 years (2023 est.)
male: 40.6 years
female: 49 years
-1.04% (2023 est.)
9.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
15.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-4.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
fairly even population distribution throughout the country, but somewhat greater concentrations in the southern cities of Vilnius and Kaunas, and the western port of Klaipeda
urban population: 68.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: -0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
541,000 VILNIUS (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
28.2 years (2020 est.)
9 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 76 years (2023 est.)
male: 70.6 years
female: 81.6 years
1.61 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.78 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 93.8% of population
total: 98% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 6.2% of population
total: 2% of population (2020 est.)
7.5% of GDP (2020)
5.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
6.4 beds/1,000 population (2018)
improved: urban: 99.5% of population
rural: 88.7% of population
total: 96% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 11.3% of population
total: 4% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis
26.3% (2016)
total: 11.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 4.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 4.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 1.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 32% (2020 est.)
male: 42.1% (2020 est.)
female: 21.8% (2020 est.)
2.5% (2021) NA
53.4% (2023 est.)
women married by age 18: 0.3% (2021 est.)
4% of GDP (2019 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2021)
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2020)
water pollution; air pollution; deforestation; threatened animal and plant species; chemicals and waste materials released into the environment contaminate soil and groundwater; soil degradation and erosion
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.)
arable land: 34.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 9.4% (2018 est.)
forest: 34.6% (2018 est.)
other: 20.6% (2018 est.)
urban population: 68.7% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: -0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.31% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 10.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 12.96 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 3.15 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.3 million tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 297,960 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 22.9% (2015 est.)
salt water lake(s): Curonian Lagoon (shared with Russia) - 1,620 sq km
municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
24.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
high-income, EU-member, largest Baltic economy; privatized most state-owned enterprises; unmoved youth emigration; systemic corruption; issued Europe’s first bank-backed digital coin (LBCOIN); highly educated workforce; lowest EU household debt
$110.089 billion (2021 est.)
$103.876 billion (2020 est.)
$103.898 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
5.98% (2021 est.)
-0.02% (2020 est.)
4.63% (2019 est.)
$39,300 (2021 est.)
$37,200 (2020 est.)
$37,200 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$54.597 billion (2019 est.)
4.68% (2021 est.)
1.2% (2020 est.)
2.33% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: A (2020)
Moody’s rating: A3 (2015)
Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2020)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 3.5% (2017 est.)
industry: 29.4% (2017 est.)
services: 67.2% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 63.9% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 16.6% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 18.8% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -1.3% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 81.6% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -79.3% (2017 est.)
wheat, milk, sugar beets, rapeseeds, barley, triticale, potatoes, oats, peas, beans
metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, televisions, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture, textiles, food processing, fertilizer, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, lasers, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry, information technology, video game development, app/software development, biotechnology
8.58% (2021 est.)
1.476 million (2021 est.)
7.9% (2021 est.)
8.49% (2020 est.)
6.26% (2019 est.)
total: 19% (2021 est.)
male: 18.5%
female: 19.6%
20.6% (2018 est.)
35.3 (2019 est.)
on food: 21.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 5.9% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 28.8% (2015)
revenues: $18.636 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $18.491 billion (2019 est.)
0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
53.28% of GDP (2020 est.)
42.66% of GDP (2019 est.)
39% of GDP (2018 est.)
note: official data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions
19.88% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
$756.476 million (2021 est.)
$4.165 billion (2020 est.)
$1.929 billion (2019 est.)
$53.397 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$41.721 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$42.323 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Russia 10%, Latvia 9%, Germany 8%, Poland 7%, United States 6% (2021)
refined petroleum, wooden furniture, wheat, laboratory reagents, cigarettes (2021)
$50.377 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$36.414 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$39.419 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Poland 12%, Germany 12%, Russia 11%, Latvia 8%, Netherlands 5% (2021)
crude petroleum, cars, electricity, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment, natural gas (2021)
$5.58 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$4.847 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$5.085 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$37.859 billion (2019 est.)
$41.999 billion (2018 est.)
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
0.885 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 3.512 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 11.063 billion kWh (2020 est.)
exports: 4.105 billion kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 12.013 billion kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 951 million kWh (2020 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 38% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 35.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 16.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 0
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 0GW
Percent of total electricity production: 0%
Percent of total energy produced: 0%
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 2
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 221,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 75,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 268,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 4,000 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 68,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 194,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 12 million barrels (2021 est.)
196,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
174,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
42,490 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 2.231 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 497.923 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
imports: 2.819 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
14.503 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 693,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 9.488 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 4.322 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
101.651 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 50
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 26,031 (2018)
LY
61 (2021)
22
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
39
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1,921 km gas, 121 km refined products (2013)
total: 1,911 km (2020) 152 km electrified
total: 84,166 km (2012)
paved: 72,297 km (2012) (includes 312 km of expressways)
unpaved: 11,869 km (2012)
441 km (2007) (navigable year-round)
total: 62 (2022)
by type: container ship 4, general cargo 22, oil tanker 2, other 34
major seaport(s): Klaipeda
oil terminal(s): Butinge oil terminal
LNG terminal(s) (import): Klaipeda
manyapis