Demographics of Lithuania

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The earliest evidence of inhabitants in present-day Lithuania dates back to 10,000 BC. Between 3,000–2,000 BC, the cord-ware culture people spread over a vast region of eastern Europe, between the Baltic Sea and the Vistula River in the West and the Moscow-Kursk line in the East. Merging with the indigenous population, they gave rise to the Balts, a distinct Indo-European ethnic group whose descendants are the present-day Lithuanian and Latvian nations and Prussians (who are no longer existing). The name Lietuva, or Lithuania, might be derived from the word lietava, for a small river, or lietus, meaning rain (or land of rain).

Lithuanians are neither Slavic nor Germanic, although the union with Poland, Germanic and Russian colonization and settlement left cultural and religious influences. This highly literate society places strong emphasis upon education, which is free and compulsory until age 16. Most Lithuanians and ethnic Poles belong to the Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodoxy is the largest non-Catholic denomination.

Enduring several border changes, Soviet deportations, a massacre of its Jewish population, and German and Polish repatriations during and after World War II, Lithuania has maintained a fairly stable percentage of ethnic Lithuanians (from 79.3% in 1959 to 83.5% in 2002). Lithuania's citizenship law and constitution meet international and OSCE standards, guaranteeing universal human and civil rights.

Contents 1 Ethnic composition 2 Citizenship 3 Statistical indicators 3.1 Languages 3.2 Literacy 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Ethnic composition

Among the Baltic states, Lithuania has the most homogeneous population. According to the census conducted in 2001, 83.45% of the population identified themselves as Lithuanians, 6.74% as Poles, 6.31% as Russians, 1.23% as Belarusians, and 2.27% as members of other ethnic groups. Such a high percentage of ethnic Lithuanians might be influenced by the fact that in the early 1990s, the newly established government of Lithuania decided to grant citizenship to anyone who lived in Lithuania and who wished to have Lithuanian citizenship. Thus a number of people might have been assimilated.

Poles are concentrated in the Vilnius region, the area controlled by Poland in the interwar period. Especially large Polish communities are in Vilnius district municipality (61.3% of the population) and Šalčininkai district municipality (79.5%). Such concentration allows Election Action of Lithuania's Poles, an ethnic minority-based political party, to exert political influence. This party has held 1-2 seats in the parliament of Lithuania for the past decade. The party is more active in local politics and controls several municipal councils.

Russians, even though they are almost as numerous as Poles, are much more evenly scattered and lack a strong political party. The most prominent community lives in Visaginas city municipality (52%). Most of them are scientists who moved from Russia to work at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. Lithuania is noted for its success in limiting Russian worker migration during the Soviet occupation (1945-1990). A number of ethnic Russians left Lithuania after the declaration of independence in 1990.

In the past, the ethnic composition of Lithuania has undergone dramatic changes. The most prominent change is the extermination of the Jewish population during the Holocaust. Before World War II about 7.5% of the population was Jewish; they were concentrated in cities and towns and had a significant influence on crafts and business. They were called Litvaks and had a strong culture. The population of Vilnius, sometimes nicknamed Northern Jerusalem, was about 30% Jewish. Almost all of these Jews were killed during the Nazi Germany occupation, or later emigrated to the United States and Israel. Now there are only about 4,000 Jews living in Lithuania.

[edit] Citizenship

The fact that Lithuania has joined the European Union has made Lithuanian citizenship all the more appealing. Lithuanian citizenship is easier to obtain than that of many other European countries - only one great-grandparent is necessary to become a Lithuanian citizen. Persons who held citizenship in the Republic of Lithuania prior to June 15, 1940, and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (provided that these persons did not repatriate) are eligible for Lithuanian citizenship [1]. Claiming Lithuanian citizenship, however, can be laborious, time consuming and expensive. Aside from this, the correct documentation is needed - such documentation is often difficult to retrieve.

Lithuanian citizens are, naturally, allowed to travel throughout the European Union without a visa. As far as work is concerned, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Greece place no restrictions on Lithuanians working in their respective countries. The other original member nations of the European Union still place restrictions on work, but these are merely transitional agreements.

[edit] Statistical indicators

Population: 3.412 million (2005 est.)

Age structure:
0–14 years: 15.5% (male 284,888; female 270,458)
15–64 years: 69.1% (male 1,210,557; female 1,265,542)
65 years and over: 15.5% (male 190,496; female 363,965) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: −0.3% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 8.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 10.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.09 years
male: 69.2 years
female: 79.49 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic (primarily), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Judaism

Suicide rate: With 42.1 suicides per every 100,000 people Lithuania has the highest suicide rate in the world (2003 est)[2].

Divorce rate: With 3.2 divorces per every 1000 people, Lithuania in 2004 had the highest divorce rate in Europe [3].

[edit] Languages

The Lithuanian language, which uses the Latin alphabet, has only been the country's official language since 1989. The Soviet era had imposed the official use of Russian, so most Lithuanians speak Russian as a second language, while the resident Slavic populace generally speaks Russian or Polish as their first language. The younger generation usually speaks English, learned from school and the Internet, as their second language.

About 30,600 pupils started their 2003 school year in schools where the entire curriculum is conducted in Russian (down from 76,000 in 1991), and about 20,500 enrolled in Polish schools (up from 11,400 in 1991). There are also schools in the Belarussian language; these enrolled about 160 students in 2003.

[edit] Literacy

Lithuania is one of the most literate countries in the world. A portion of people 15-years-old and older who can read and write reached 99.8% in 2003 (est.) The proportion between males and females is the same. The primary, secondary, and high schools are free to all residents. Ten years of schooling is required. Tertiary education is almost free. Depending on grades, a student might receive a stipend or make a payment of 500 litas per semester. There are also small social stipends available for students with economic difficulties. In 2003 43,900 students were admitted to 21 universities in Lithuania (11,100 of the to master programs). About 70% of high school graduates continue to study in universities or professional schools.

[edit] See also

• Lithuania
• Lithuanians in Brazil
• Ethnic composition of Central Lithuania
• History of Russians in Lithuania

[edit] External links

• statistics about education in Lithuania (PDF)