Languages spoken in Lithuania
Europe · Capital: Vilnius · Population 2.6 million
The official language of Lithuania is Lithuanian. An estimated 86% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 2.3 million people. After Lithuanian, the most widely spoken are Russian at 80% and English at 38%. Lithuanian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Lithuanian is not recorded in any of Lithuania's four neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Lithuania, and their shares add up to 218% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Lithuania?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| LithuanianIndo-European | 86% | Official | 2.3 million |
| RussianIndo-European | 80% | Spoken | 2.1 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 38% | Spoken | 998,712 |
| GermanIndo-European | 14% | Spoken | 367,947 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Lithuania?
The official language of Lithuania is Lithuanian. Lithuanian is spoken by an estimated 86% of the population, or roughly 2.3 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Lithuanian in Lithuania?
An estimated 86% of Lithuania's 2.6 million people speak Lithuanian, which works out at roughly 2.3 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Lithuania
- Capital
- Vilnius
- Population
- 2.6 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 65,300 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- LT / LTU / 440
Which countries border Lithuania?
Lithuania shares a land border with four countries: Belarus, Latvia, Poland, and Russia. None of them records Lithuanian, the most widely spoken language in Lithuania, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.