• English
• Français
• Deutsch
• Pусский

Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic countries, covering an area of 65 300 km². The capital is Vilnius and it has a population of 3.36 million people. Lithuania acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004 and is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Gross domestic product has grown at an average of over 7.5% since 2001, making it and the other Baltic countries the fastest growing economies in Europe, up until the global financial crisis. 

The past decade has seen a steady decline in population growth, with a fertility rate 40% lower than needed to maintain population stability.

The large discrepancy between male and female life expectancy is due to higher male mortality and between rural/urban life expectancy to higher rural mortality.

Life expectancy at birth is 72 years, compared with the European Union (EU) average of 79 years.

Diseases of the circulatory system, cancer and external causes of death follow similar trends as in other new EU countries, but diseases of the circulatory system are twice as high as in the old EU countries.

The suicide rate is one of the highest in Europe at 30.4 per 100 000 in 2007, twice the highest level in the EU. The number of people suffering from depression is growing.

Deaths through acts of violence are also numerous.

Actual levels of alcohol consumption are likely to be higher than reported (13.2 litres per capita in 2008). Morbidity from alcoholic psychosis grew from 58.5 per 100 000 in 1998 to 111.3 per 100 000 in 2007 (though it declined in 2008 by 12%).

The incidence of drug addiction has stabilized in the last few years. Tobacco consumption among young people, particularly young women, is growing. Substance abuse increased from 81.2 per 100 000 in 1998 to 146.3 per 100 000 in 2004.

The number of road traffic accidents resulting in injury in 2006 reached 9594 per 100 000, twice as high as the EU average. In 2007, a small decrease occurred, followed by a 30% decrease in 2009, which continues.