Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, Demography, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania

In 2011, Lithuania's international net migration remained negative as the emigration was higher than immigration by 38,200. In the period from 2007 to 2011, average annual emigration from Lithuania accounted for 44,000 citizens, while immigration rates stood 9,000 per year. In other words, during the 5 years span averagely 35,000 persons more would emigrate than come to live in Lithuania, reports LETA/ELTA.

The UK was the key target of Lithuanian emigrants. Last year, every second leaving residents headed for the UK, a tenth (10.4%) chose Ireland, 7.1% went off to Norway, 7% to Germany, 3.6% to Spain, 3.3% to the United States, 2.4% to Sweden and 2% left for the Russian Federation. Every second emigrant was 20-29 years old. Last year, 81.8% young emigrants and older leaving residents could not find a job for 12 months or more before emigrating from their country. The 2010 rate stood at 85%. In 2011, 4.4% of all emigrants were foreign-born (4.6% in 2010, 17.5% in 2007).

Almost a third (28.2%) of last year's emigrant foreigners held passports of Belarus, Russian Federation (17.9%), Ukraine (13.2%), EU member-states (12.4%) and US (3.9%). Last year, 14,000 Lithuanian citizens re-emigrated – came back to Lithuania.