Number of Lithuanians leaving country more than halves in 5 years

Last year, around 19,000 citizens left Lithuania for another country, down from 50,000 five years ago. In 2021, around 24,000 people came back for good to Lithuania, compared to only 10,000 a few years ago, Vilnius Office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

“Return migration has been increasing in recent years. For the second year in a row, the number of Lithuanians coming back has exceeded departures and we have seen a positive migration balance. This year, for objective reasons, this trend is unlikely to be maintained. However, we can see that people are returning for family and homesickness reasons and, for practical reasons, one of the factors is quality medical services. A large number also return because they have earned money, want to raise children in Lithuania, have ideas and experience, and plan to start their own business,” Head of Vilnius Office at IOM Lietuva Eitvydas Bingelis said.