Lithuania

noun:

Lithuanian(s)

adjective:

Lithuanian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.81 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.45 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis

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.)

• 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

particulate matter emissions:

11.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

12.96 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

3.15 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

68.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

-0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis

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.)

municipal:

130.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

69.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

58.9 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Lithuania

conventional short form:

Lithuania

local long form:

Lietuvos Respublika

local short form:

Lietuva

former:

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (while occupied by the USSR)

etymology:

meaning of the name "Lietuva" remains unclear and is debated by scholars; it may derive from the Lietava, a stream in east central Lithuania

name:

Vilnius

geographic coordinates:

54 41 N, 25 19 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology:

named after the Vilnia River, which flows into the Neris River at Vilnius; the river name derives from the Lithuanian word "vilnis" meaning "a surge"

• 16 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia and Germany);
• 11 March 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union);
• 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union);
• notable earlier dates: 6 July 1253 (coronation of MINDAUGAS, traditional founding date);
• 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created)

• Independence Day (or National Day), 16 February (1918);
• note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania established its statehood and its concomitant independence from Soviet Russia and Germany;
• 11 March 1990 was the date it declared the restoration of Lithuanian statehood and its concomitant independence from the Soviet Union

history:

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 25 October 1992, entered into force 2 November 1992

amendments:

• 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;
• amended many times, last in 2019

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Lithuania

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Gitanas NAUSEDA (since 12 July 2019)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ingrida SIMONYTE (since 24 November 2020)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 12 and 26 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2024);
• prime minister appointed by the president, approved by Parliament

election results:

• 2019: Gitanas NAUSEDA elected president in second round;
• percent of vote - Gitanas NAUSEDA (independent) 66.7%, Ingrida SIMONYTE (independent) 33.3%;
• Saulius SKVERNELIS (LVZS) approved as prime minister by Parliament vote - 62 to 10

;

• 2009: Dalia GRYBAUSKAITE elected president;
• Dalia GRYBAUSKAITE 69.1%, Algirdas BUTKEVICIUS 11.8%, Valentinas MAZURONIS 6.2%, Valdemar TOMASEVSKI 4.7%, and other 8.2%

description:

unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote and 70 directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 11 and 25 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2024)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - TS-LKD 50, LVZS 32, LSDP 13, LRLS 13, Freedom 11, DP 10, AWPL 3, LSDDP 3, LT 1, Greens 1, independent 4;
• composition as of July 2022 - men 101, women 40, percent of women 28.4%

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 chairperson, and the Supreme Court president;
• judges serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms;
• one-third of membership reconstituted every 3 years

subordinate courts:

Court of Appeals; district and local courts

• Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASEVSKI]
• Freedom and Justice Party or LT [Remigijus ZEMAITAITIS] (formerly Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals))
• Freedom Party or LP [Ausrine ARMONAITE]
• Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS-LKD [Gabrielius LANDSBERGIS]
• Labor Party or DP [Andrius MAZURONIS]
• Lithuanian Center Party or LCP [Naglis PUTEIKIS]
• Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union or LVZS [Ramunas KARBAUSKIS]
• Lithuanian Green Party or LZP [Remigijus LAPINSKAS]
• Lithuanian Liberal Movement or LS or LRLS [Viktorija CMILYTE-NIELSEN]
• Lithuanian List or LL [Darius KUOLYS]
• Lithuanian Regions Party or LRP [Jonas PINSKUS] (formerly Lithuanian Social Democratic Labor Party or LSDDP)
• Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Vilija BLINKEVICIUTE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Audra PLEPYTE (since 7 July 2021)

chancery:

2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-5860

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-0466

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://usa.mfa.lt/usa/en/

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Robert S. GILCHRIST (since 4 February 2020)

embassy:

Akmenu gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106

mailing address:

4510 Vilnius Place, Washington DC 20521-4510

telephone:

[370] (5) 266-5500

FAX:

[370] (5) 266-5510

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://lt.usembassy.gov/

• three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red;
• yellow symbolizes golden fields, as well as the sun, light, and goodness;
• green represents the forests of the countryside, in addition to nature, freedom, and hope;
• red stands for courage and the blood spilled in defense of the homeland

name:

"Tautiska giesme" (The National Song)

lyrics/music:

Vincas KUDIRKA

note: adopted 1918, restored 1990; written in 1898 while Lithuania was a part of Russia; banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990

total World Heritage Sites:

4 (all cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Vilnius Historic Center;
• Curonian Spit;
• Kernavė Archaeological Site;
• Struve Geodetic Arc

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:

9.1%

industry:

25.2%

services:

65.8% (2015 est.)

total:

14.3%

male:

14%

female:

14.7% (2021 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.2%

highest 10%:

28.8% (2015)

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.)

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

2,230,854,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports:

497.923 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

imports:

2,818,513,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

• public broadcaster operates 3 channels with the third channel - a satellite channel - introduced in 2007;
• various privately owned commercial TV broadcasters operate national and multiple regional channels;
• many privately owned local TV stations;
• multi-channel cable and satellite TV services available;
• publicly owned broadcaster operates 3 radio networks;
• many privately owned commercial broadcasters, with repeater stations in various regions throughout the country

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)

total:

1,768 km (2014)

standard gauge:

22 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

broad gauge:

1,746 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge (122 km electrified)

total:

84,166 km (2012)

paved:

72,297 km (2012) (includes 312 km of expressways)

unpaved:

11,869 km (2012)

total:

64

by type:

container ship 4, general cargo 24, oil tanker 2, other 34 (2021)

major seaport(s):

Klaipeda

oil terminal(s):

Butinge oil terminal

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Klaipeda

• Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos Ginkluotosios Pajegos): Land Forces (Sausumos Pajegos), Naval Forces (Karines Juru Pajegos), Air Forces (Karines Oro Pajegos), Special Operations Forces (Specialiuju Operaciju Pajegos);
• National Defense Volunteer Forces (Savanoriu Pajegos);
• National Riflemen's Union (2022)

note: the National Rifleman's Union is a paramilitary force that acts as an additional reserve force

• the Lithuanian Armed Forces' inventory is mostly a mix of Western weapons systems and Soviet-era equipment (primarily aircraft and helicopters);
• as of 2021, Germany was the leading supplier of armaments to Lithuania (2021)

• 19-26 years of age for conscripted military service for men;
• 9-month service obligation;
• in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008;
• 18-38 for voluntary service for men and women (2022)

note 1: Lithuania conscripts up to 4,000 males each year; conscripts are selected using an automated lottery system

note 2: as of 2019, women comprised about 12% of the military's full-time personnel

Lithuania became a member of NATO in 2004

since 2017, Lithuania has hosted a German-led multi-national NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative; NATO also has provided air protection for Lithuania since 2004 through its Air Policing mission; NATO member countries that possess air combat capabilities voluntarily contribute to the mission on 4-month rotations; NATO fighter aircraft are hosted at Lithuania’s Šiauliai Air Base (2022)

Lithuania-Belarus :

as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation

Lithuania-Lativa :

boundary demarcated with Latvia was completed in 1998

Lithuania-Russia :

• Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999;
• Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules;
• in January 2018, demarcation of the Lithuania-Russia border was completed

refugees (country of origin):

72,051 (Ukraine) (as of 20 December 2022)

stateless persons:

2,721 (mid-year 2021)