Country Overview
Lithuania is a Baltic republic on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, classified as Northern Europe in the UN M49 system. The historic Grand Duchy was an important medieval and early-modern European polity. The modern state declared independence on 16 February 1918, and Lithuania restored state independence on 11 March 1990 after Soviet occupation. Vilnius is the capital, and Lithuania belongs to the European Union, NATO, euro area and Schengen area. [6]
Identity and State Formation
- Official and common names
- Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika); Lithuania (Lietuva)
- Capital
- Vilnius
- UN M49 classification
- Europe / Northern Europe [3]
- Historic statehood
- Grand Duchy of Lithuania emerged in the thirteenth century; 1253 coronation of Mindaugas is commemorated
- Modern independence
- Act of Independence signed 16 February 1918
- Restoration of independence
- Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on 11 March 1990
- Current constitutional order
- Constitution approved by referendum 25 October 1992; effective 2 November 1992
- National days
- 16 February (Restoration of the State); 11 March (Restoration of Independence); 6 July (Statehood Day)
- ISO 3166-1 identifiers
- LT (alpha-2), LTU (alpha-3), 440 (numeric)
- Country-code top-level domain
- .lt
Historical context: The medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded widely in eastern Europe, then joined Poland through dynastic union and, in 1569, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Partitions in the late eighteenth century placed most Lithuanian territory within the Russian Empire. Lithuania declared modern independence in 1918 and was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, followed by Nazi German occupation and renewed Soviet rule. The 1990 restoration act preceded broad international recognition in 1991. Lithuania joined NATO and the European Union in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2015. [10]
Geography and Population
- Total geographical area
- 65,284 km² (EU/Eurostat, 2026 geographic reference) [6]
- Land area
- 62,590 km² (World Bank/FAO, 2024) [2]
- Population
- 2,888,774 (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Annual population growth
- Approximately 0.0% (World Bank, 2025 rounded) [1]
- Borders
- Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad exclave); coastline on Baltic Sea
- Physical geography
- Baltic coastal lowlands, lakes, forests, Nemunas River and rolling uplands; Curonian Lagoon and Curonian Spit
- Major urban centers
- Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys
- Local government
- 60 municipalities with directly elected mayors; ten counties mainly serve statistical/regional functions
Data interpretation: 2026 EU/Eurostat geographical area includes inland waters, unlike World Bank/FAO land area. For 2025 population use the World Bank reference rather than mixing it with a 2026 national annual estimate. [1]
Economy and International Trade
- Economic structure
- Export-oriented market economy with manufacturing, refined petroleum, transport, information services, biotechnology, chemicals and logistics
- Nominal GDP
- Approximately US$95.21 billion (World Bank, 2025 current dollars) [1]
- Nominal GDP per capita
- Approximately US$32,959 (World Bank, 2025 current dollars) [1]
- Real GDP growth
- 2.9% (World Bank, 2025) [1]
- Currency
- Euro (EUR); adopted on 1 January 2015 [6]
- Merchandise exports
- Approximately EUR 37 billion in 2025 (Lithuanian State Data Agency)
- Key merchandise categories
- Mineral oils and petroleum products, furniture, transport equipment, chemicals, machinery and food products
- Major merchandise markets
- Latvia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Estonia and other EU countries; exact ordering depends on the reporting year and methodology
- Trade-statistics caution
- Totals include re-exports as well as goods of Lithuanian origin; goods trade must be distinguished from service exports
Principal Merchandise Export Categories (2024–2025)
| Category | Illustrative exported products |
|---|---|
| Mineral oils and refined products | Petroleum products and related mineral goods |
| Furniture and finished manufactures | Furniture, wood products and other finished goods |
| Road transport and equipment | Vehicles, automotive goods and transport components |
| Chemical and industrial products | Chemical products, plastics, fertilizers and industrial inputs |
| Machinery and food products | Electrical equipment, machinery, processed foods and agricultural output |
GDP is not wages: Nominal GDP is aggregate economic output; GDP per capita divides that output by population. Neither measure represents average or median personal earnings. [1]
People and Society
- Official language
- Lithuanian, a Baltic Indo-European language
- Other languages and minorities
- Polish, Russian, Belarusian and other minority languages; English is widely studied
- Roman Catholic, 2021 survey
- 74.2% of total population self-identified as Roman Catholic in Lithuania’s official 2021 statistical survey
- Eastern Orthodox, 2021 survey
- 3.8% of total population identified as Eastern Orthodox
- Other religious and nonreligious people
- Other Christian traditions, Jews, Muslims, other faiths, people reporting no religion and persons who did not specify a faith
- Demographic context
- Urban centers concentrated in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda; labor migration and population aging shape current trends
Demographic interpretation: The 74.2% Catholic and 3.8% Orthodox figures come from the national 2021 statistical survey, not a 2025 religious census or worship attendance measure. [9]
Government and Institutions
- System
- Unitary republic with directly elected president and parliamentary-accountable government
- Head of state
- President, directly elected for a five-year term; constitutional responsibilities include foreign affairs and defense
- Head of government
- Prime Minister appointed through constitutional process; Cabinet requires Seimas approval
- Legislature
- Unicameral Seimas, 141 members
- Local divisions
- 60 municipalities; ten counties remain useful regional/statistical units
- Constitution
- Constitution adopted by referendum 1992, as amended
- Judiciary
- Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court and lower courts
International Profile
- United Nations
- Member since 17 September 1991 [5]
- European Union
- Member since 1 May 2004 [6]
- Euro area
- Member since 1 January 2015 [6]
- Schengen area
- Member since 21 December 2007 [6]
- NATO
- Member since 29 March 2004
- Other organizations
- OECD, WTO, Council of Europe, OSCE and Baltic regional institutions
- UNESCO World Heritage
- 5 inscribed properties: Vilnius Historic Centre, Curonian Spit, Kernavė, Struve Geodetic Arc and Modernist Kaunas [4]
- International dialing code
- +370
- Time zone
- Eastern European Time UTC+2; summer UTC+3
Sources and Verification
Editorial cutoff: November 6, 2026. Most headline population and economic indicators are World Bank 2025 data. Separate national releases and census figures have different statistical coverage and dates; figures may be updated retrospectively.
- World Bank, World Development Indicators: country profile — Latest available annual population, GDP, per-capita GDP and real-growth series, with their individual reference years.
- World Bank/FAO, land area indicator (2024) — Land area in square kilometers, excluding inland water.
- United Nations Statistics Division, UN M49 — United Nations geographic subregion.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Heritage Convention State Parties — World Heritage inscriptions and Convention State Party status.
- United Nations, Member States — United Nations membership.
- European Union, Lithuania country profile — 2026 area, government, currencies and memberships.
- Lithuania State Data Agency, 2025 economic and social indicators — 2025 goods exports and national economic indicators.
- Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, trade and economic relations — Official 2024 goods categories and partner markets.
- Lithuania State Data Agency, 2021 population by religion — 2021 population religious survey percentages.
- Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania — National parliament, constitution and government framework.
- UNESCO, Lithuania State Party — Five inscribed World Heritage properties.
- NATO, member countries — Lithuanian NATO accession.
Methodology: Population is the World Bank 2025 country series; GDP and GDP per capita are in current U.S. dollars and real GDP growth is a volume change, not an exchange-rate change. Land area excludes inland waters under the FAO definition, whereas the country-specific total area can be a distinct national or regional surface measure. Export tables are illustrative merchandise categories, not services data or a harmonized ranking. Religious figures identify their census or survey reference year and denominator.