Country profile · Baltic states
Lithuania
Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic states, with about 2.9 million people. It borders Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region. It was the first Soviet republic to declare independence, on March 11, 1990, and joined NATO and the EU in 2004. NATO estimates that Lithuania spends 5.33% of its GDP on defense in 2026, the highest share in the alliance.
Where Lithuania ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Lithuania in?
All alliances →Who runs Lithuania?
President Gitanas Nausėda was born in Klaipėda in 1964. He is an economist who served as chief economist of SEB bank. Nausėda became president on July 12, 2019, and won a second term in a runoff on May 26, 2024, with about 74% of the vote. He leads foreign policy and commands the armed forces. He cannot run again in 2029. The Social Democrats won the Seimas election of October 2024 with 52 of 141 seats (chart). Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned in 2025 over investigations into business deals. His successor, Inga Ruginienė, a former trade union leader, resigned on June 23, 2026, after the Social Democrats expelled the populist Dawn of Nemunas from the coalition. That party's leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, was convicted of inciting hatred against Jews in December 2025, and an appeals court upheld the verdict in July 2026. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has led the government since July 14, 2026. His coalition with the Democrats "For Lithuania" and the Farmers and Greens holds 75 of 141 seats.
- Social Democrats 52
- Homeland Union 28
- Dawn of Nemunas 20
- Democrats "For Lithuania" 14
- Liberal Movement 12
- Farmers and Greens 8
- Others 7
Photo (February 2025): Dati Bendo, European Union, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are Lithuania's allies and rivals?
Lithuania joined NATO and the EU in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2015. NATO held its summit in Vilnius in July 2023. Germany is building its 45th Panzer Brigade in Lithuania. The brigade was commissioned in April 2025 and is due to reach 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilians by the end of 2027. It had about 2,000 people in July 2026, and Germany has started ordering soldiers to go because too few volunteer. About 1,000 US soldiers left in June 2026 when their rotation ended. A new rotation began arriving in October 2026, and Lithuania has offered to pay for a permanent US base. Poland is the closest partner, and Latvia and Estonia share Lithuania's fears of Russia. Lithuania has given Ukraine more than $1 billion in military aid and sets aside at least 0.25% of GDP each year for it. Lithuania downgraded relations with Russia in April 2022 and has had no ambassador in Moscow since. China downgraded relations with Lithuania in 2021 over a Taiwan office in Vilnius.
Allies and partners
- NATOMember since 2004; Vilnius hosted the 2023 summit
- European UnionMember since 2004; holds the EU presidency from January 2027
GermanyBuilding a brigade of 4,800 soldiers in Lithuania by 2027
PolandShares the Suwałki Gap; power link planned by 2030
United StatesRotation of about 1,000 troops returning since October 2026
UkraineMore than $1 billion in Lithuanian military aid
- Suwałki Gap About 65 km of land between Belarus and Kaliningrad. NATO's only land link to the Baltic states.
- Rūdninkai Main base of Germany's new brigade, about 30 km from Belarus. German troops are due to move in from autumn 2026.
- Astravets Belarus's Russian-built nuclear plant, about 50 km from Vilnius. Lithuania banned its power in 2020.
- Klaipėda Lithuania's port and LNG terminal. It let Lithuania stop buying Russian gas in April 2022.
- Lithuania
- Partner
- Rival
Who does Lithuania trade with?
Lithuania exported $41.6 billion of goods in 2025 and imported $49.0 billion (UN Comtrade). Its neighbors Latvia and Poland are its biggest markets, and Poland and Germany its biggest suppliers (chart). About 31% of exports are re-exports of goods made elsewhere. Lithuanian-made lasers are sold in more than 80 countries. Belarus took 1.7% of exports and Russia 1.1%. Lithuania stopped buying Russian gas in April 2022 through its LNG terminal at Klaipėda and stopped buying Russian oil and electricity in May 2022. On February 9, 2025, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia left the old Soviet power grid shared with Russia and Belarus and joined the European grid. Saudi Arabia supplied 4.7% of imports, mostly crude oil for the Mažeikiai refinery, owned by Poland's Orlen. When drones shut a Saudi pipeline in September 2026, the refinery switched to oil from Norway and Algeria. The economy grew 2.8% in 2025, and inflation reached 6.7% in September 2026.
Sells to
Share of Lithuania's exports
Latvia12.4%- Poland10.2%
- Germany9.0%
Netherlands6.6%
Estonia6.0%
Buys from
Share of Lithuania's imports
- Poland13.9%
- Germany12.9%
- Latvia8.5%
China5.2%- Netherlands5.2%
Goods, 2025, as reported by Lithuania. UN Comtrade.
How is Lithuania preparing for a war with Russia?
Lithuania's 2026 budget gives defense 4.79 billion euros, 5.38% of GDP. NATO estimates it at 5.33%, the highest share in the alliance, ahead of Estonia and Latvia. The 2027 draft keeps it at about 5%. Lithuania brought back conscription in 2015, and about 5,000 conscripts are called up in 2026. It left the treaty banning cluster munitions in March 2025, the first country ever to leave such a treaty, and the treaty banning anti-personnel mines in December 2025. It is building a 14,600-hectare training ground in the Suwałki Gap. In October 2026 the Seimas passed the first vote to remove the constitution's ban on foreign bases and weapons of mass destruction. The final vote is set for January 12, 2027. Pressure from Belarus is constant. Smuggling balloons have closed Vilnius airport more than 20 times since October 2025. On September 15, 2026, a NATO jet shot down a drone from Belarus near Kaunas, the first drone ever downed over Lithuania.
Why did Lithuania fall out with China?
In November 2021 Lithuania let Taiwan open a representative office in Vilnius under the name "Taiwanese". Other European offices use "Taipei". China downgraded relations to the level of chargé d'affaires on November 21, 2021. From December 2021 Lithuanian goods disappeared from China's customs system, and Lithuania's diplomats left Beijing. China denies any formal ban. The EU took China to the World Trade Organization in 2022 and withdrew the case on December 1, 2025. In August 2025 China sanctioned two Lithuanian banks. In February 2026 Prime Minister Ruginienė called the 2021 decision a mistake, and in a March 2026 poll 58% of Lithuanians favored renaming the office "Taipei". The office still has its name. In October 2026 Prime Minister Sinkevičius said the government has a plan to restore diplomatic missions with China and hopes for a breakthrough in December.