Lithuania

Location

• Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus
• fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Vilnius	542,366	Capital
Kaunas	289,380
Klaipėda	172,292
Šiauliai	99,462
Panevėžys	85,885
Dainava (Kaunas)	70,000
Alytus	49,195
Šilainiai	40,600
Eiguliai	40,453
Antakalnis	40,000

Size

• 25,174 square miles
• 65,200 square kilometers
• slightly larger than West Virginia

History

Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, Lithuania extended its territory through alliances and conquest 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 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 surrounding countries partitioned its remnants. Lithuania regained its independence after World War I, but the USSR annexed it in 1940 -- an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. In 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until 1991. 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 2004. In 2015, Lithuania joined the euro zone, and it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018.

Climate

transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Terrain

lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Languages

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.

Religions

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.)

Government

semi-presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 25 October 1992, entered into force 2 November 1992amendment process: proposed by at least one fourth of all Parliament members or by petition of at least 300,000 voters; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of two readings three months apart and a presidential signature; amendments to constitutional articles on national sovereignty and constitutional amendment procedure also require three-fourths voter approval in a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the Constitutional Court
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Gitanas NAUSEDA (since 12 July 2019)head of government: Acting Prime Minister Rimantas SADZIUS (since 4 August 2025)cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president, approved by Parliamentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by Parliamentmost recent election date: 26 May 2024election results: 2024: Gitanas NAUSEDA elected president in second round; percent of vote -Gitanas NAUSEDA (independent) 75.6%, Ingrida SIMONYTE (TS-LKD) 24.4%2019: Gitanas NAUSEDA elected president in second round; percent of vote - Gitanas NAUSEDA (independent) 66.7%, Ingrida SIMONYTE (independent) 33.3%expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 37 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Seimas; judges serve 5-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Seimas from nominations - 3 each by the president of the republic, the Seimas speaker, and the Supreme Court president; judges serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms; one third of membership reconstituted every 3 yearssubordinate courts: Court of Appeals; district and local courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Seimas)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 141 (all directly elected)electoral system: mixed systemscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 10/13/2024 to 10/27/2024parties elected and seats per party: Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) (52); Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) (28); Political Party "The Dawn of Nemunas" (PPNA) (20); Union of Democrats “For Lithuania” (DSVL) (14); Liberals Movement of the Republic of Lithuania (LS) (12); Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) (8); Other (7)percentage of women in chamber: 28.4%expected date of next election: October 2028

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income EU and eurozone member, largest Baltic economy; recovery supported by private consumption and EU fund-driven investments; structural challenges include pension reform, aging workforce, and high energy-import costs
• Budget: revenues: $28.011 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $28.68 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: peat, arable land, amber
• Industries: 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
• Agricultural Products: wheat, milk, sugar beets, rapeseed, barley, potatoes, triticale, oats, beans, peas (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 46.5% (2022 est.)arable land: 36.6% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.6% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 9.3% (2022 est.)forest: 35.2% (2022 est.)other: 18.3% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: crude petroleum, cars, natural gas, packaged medicine, plastic products (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 13%, Poland 13%, Latvia 8%, USA 7%, Norway 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: refined petroleum, furniture, plastic products, wheat, cars (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Latvia 11%, Poland 8%, Germany 7%, Netherlands 6%, Russia 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports