Demographics of Lithuania

Demographics of Lithuania
Population2,830,546 (2022 est.)
Growth rate−1.04% (2022 est.)
Birth rate9.26 births/1,000 population
Death rate15.12 deaths/1,000 population
Life expectancy75.78 years
 • male70.42 years
 • female81.44 years
Fertility rate1.03 children (2025)
Infant mortality rate3.63 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate−4.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Age structure
0–14 years15.26%
15–64 years64.29%
65 and over20.45%
Sex ratio
Total0.86 male(s)/female
At birth1.06 male(s)/female
65 and over0.45 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityLithuanian
Major ethnicLithuanian (84.6%)
Language
OfficialLithuanian (85.3%)

Demographic features of the population of Lithuania include population density, ethnicity, level of education, health, economic status, and religious affiliations.

The population of Lithuania increased after the end of World War II, reaching its apex in 1991 with 3.7 million, but started to decline after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union later that year, which negatively impacted the country. As social problems ensued after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the birth rate decreased and the population fell sharply due to a relatively high death rate, mass emigration and a large increase of its suicide rate that made Lithuania one of the countries with the highest suicide rates in the world. This caused its population to drop below 3 million in 2012, losing over a quarter of its population in 30 years. As of today, Lithuania's fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world. However, while its suicide rate would remain the highest in the European Union, it dropped over time, Since 2019, more Lithuanian citizens have been returning to Lithuania than leaving, largely due to the rapidly improving quality of life and economic conditions in their homeland. There is an increasing trend among returning Lithuanian emigres to choose rural regions over urban ones.