Lithuania vs. Belarus
Introduction
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795 when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. In 2015, Lithuania joined the euro zone, and it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018. | After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place and current negotiations on further integration have been contentious. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first and only directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on political and civil freedoms, freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion have remained in place. |
Geography
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus | Eastern Europe, east of Poland |
| Geographic coordinates | 56 00 N, 24 00 E | 53 00 N, 28 00 E |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 65,300 sq km land: 62,680 sq km water: 2,620 sq km | total: 207,600 sq km land: 202,900 sq km water: 4,700 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than West Virginia | slightly less than twice the size of Kentucky; slightly smaller than Kansas |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,545 km border countries (4): Belarus 640 km, Latvia 544 km, Poland 100 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 261 km | total: 3,599 km border countries (5): Latvia 161 km, Lithuania 640 km, Poland 375 km, Russia 1312 km, Ukraine 1111 km |
| Coastline | 90 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers | cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime |
| Terrain | lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil | generally flat with much marshland |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Aukstojas 294 m lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m mean elevation: 110 m | highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m mean elevation: 160 m |
| Natural resources | peat, arable land, amber | timber, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay |
| Land use | agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 34.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 9.4% (2018 est.) forest: 34.6% (2018 est.) other: 20.6% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 43.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 27.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 15.9% (2018 est.) forest: 42.7% (2018 est.) other: 13.6% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 44 sq km (2012) | 1,140 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | occasional floods, droughts | large tracts of marshy land |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution; air pollution; deforestation; threatened animal and plant species; chemicals and waste materials released into the environment contaminate soil and groundwater; soil degradation and erosion | soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits | landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes |
| Total renewable water resources | 24.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 57.9 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | fairly even population distribution throughout the country, but somewhat greater concentrations in the southern cities of Vilnius and Kaunas, and the western port of Klaipeda | a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations |
Demographics
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,711,566 (July 2021 est.) | 9,441,842 (July 2021 est.) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.26% (male 213,802/female 202,948) 15-24 years: 10.23% (male 144,679/female 134,822) 25-54 years: 38.96% (male 528,706/female 535,485) 55-64 years: 15.1% (male 183,854/female 228,585) 65 years and over: 20.45% (male 190,025/female 368,558) (2020 est.) | 0-14 years: 16.09% (male 784,231/female 740,373) 15-24 years: 9.59% (male 467,393/female 441,795) 25-54 years: 43.94% (male 2,058,648/female 2,105,910) 55-64 years: 14.45% (male 605,330/female 763,972) 65 years and over: 15.93% (male 493,055/female 1,017,211) (2020 est.) |
| Median age | total: 44.5 years male: 40.2 years female: 48.2 years (2020 est.) | total: 40.9 years male: 38 years female: 43.9 years (2020 est.) |
| Population growth rate | -1.04% (2021 est.) | -0.29% (2021 est.) |
| Birth rate | 9.42 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 9.32 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Death rate | 15.05 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 12.96 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -4.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) | 0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2020 est.) | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.79 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 3.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) | total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.61 years male: 70.23 years female: 81.29 years (2021 est.) | total population: 74.01 years male: 68.6 years female: 79.74 years (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.61 children born/woman (2021 est.) | 1.51 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.1% (2019 est.) | 0.5% (2020 est.) |
| Nationality | noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian | noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian |
| Ethnic groups | Lithuanian 84.1%, Polish 6.6%, Russian 5.8%, Belarusian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2% (2011 est.) | Belarusian 83.7%, Russian 8.3%, Polish 3.1%, Ukrainian 1.7%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.9% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 3,400 (2019 est.) | 28,000 (2020 est.) note: estimate does not include children |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 77.2%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Old Believer 0.8%, Evangelical Lutheran 0.6%, Evangelical Reformist 0.2%, other (including Sunni Muslim, Jewish, Greek Catholic, and Karaite) 0.8%, none 6.1%, unspecified 10.1% (2011 est.) | Orthodox 48.3%, Catholic 7.1%, other 3.5%, non-believers 41.1% (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | <100 (2019 est.) | <200 (2020 est.) note: estimate does not include children |
| Languages | Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other 0.9%, unspecified 3.5% (2011 est.) major-language sample(s): Pasaulio enciklopedija - naudingas bendrosios informacijos saltinis. (Lithuanian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. | Russian (official) 70.2%, Belarusian (official) 23.4%, other 3.1% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities), unspecified 3.3% (2009 est.) major-language sample(s): ????? ?????? ? ???? - ??????????? ???????? ??????? ??????????. (Russian) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2015) | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2018) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 17 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2018) | total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2018) |
| Education expenditures | 3.8% of GDP (2017) | 4.8% of GDP (2017) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 68.2% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: -0.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) | urban population: 79.9% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.28% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 92.8% of population total: 97.5% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 7.2% of population total: 2.5% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 98.3% of population total: 99.8% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 1.7% of population total: 0.2% of population (2017 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 99.3% of population rural: 87.5% of population total: 95.5% of population unimproved: urban: 0.7% of population rural: 12.5% of population total: 4.5% of population (2017 est.) | improved: urban: 99.8% of population rural: 97.9% of population total: 99.4% of population unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population rural: 2.1% of population total: 0.6% of population (2017 est.) |
| Major cities - population | 540,000 VILNIUS (capital) (2021) | 2.039 million MINSK (capital) (2021) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) | 2 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Health expenditures | 6.6% (2018) | 5.6% (2018) |
| Physicians density | 6.35 physicians/1,000 population (2018) | 5.19 physicians/1,000 population (2015) |
| Hospital bed density | 6.6 beds/1,000 population (2017) | 10.8 beds/1,000 population (2014) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 26.3% (2016) | 24.5% (2016) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 27.5 years (2019 est.) | 26.8 years (2019 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 56.5 youth dependency ratio: 24.2 elderly dependency ratio: 32.3 potential support ratio: 3.1 (2020 est.) | total dependency ratio: 48.9 youth dependency ratio: 25.7 elderly dependency ratio: 23.2 potential support ratio: 4.3 (2020 est.) |
Government
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local long form: Lietuvos Respublika local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic etymology: meaning of the name "Lietuva" remains unclear; it may derive from the Lietava, a stream in east central Lithuania | conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus'/Respublika Belarus' local short form: Byelarus'/Belarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic etymology: the name is a compound of the Belarusian words "bel" (white) and "Rus" (the Old East Slavic ethnic designation) to form the meaning White Rusian or White Ruthenian |
| Government type | semi-presidential republic | presidential republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship |
| Capital | name: Vilnius geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: named after the Vilnia River, which flows into the Neris River at Vilnius; the river name derives from the Lithuanian word "vilnis" meaning "a surge" | name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; Minsk may originally have been located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka River; remnants of a 10th-century settlement on the banks of the Menka have been found |
| Administrative divisions | 60 municipalities (savivaldybe, singular - savivaldybe); Akmene, Alytaus Miestas, Alytus, Anksciai, Birstono, Birzai, Druskininkai, Elektrenai, Ignalina, Jonava, Joniskis, Jurbarkas, Kaisiadorys, Kalvarijos, Kauno Miestas, Kaunas, Kazlu Rudos, Kedainiai, Kelme, Klaipedos Miestas, Klaipeda, Kretinga, Kupiskis, Lazdijai, Marijampole, Mazeikiai, Moletai, Neringa, Pagegiai, Pakruojis, Palangos Miestas, Panevezio Miestas, Panevezys, Pasvalys, Plunge, Prienai, Radviliskis, Raseiniai, Rietavo, Rokiskis, Sakiai, Salcininkai, Siauliu Miestas, Siauliai, Silale, Silute, Sirvintos, Skuodas, Svencionys, Taurage, Telsiai, Trakai, Ukmerge, Utena, Varena, Vilkaviskis, Vilniaus Miestas, Vilnius, Visaginas, Zarasai | 6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel' (Gomel'), Horad Minsk* (Minsk City), Hrodna (Grodno), Mahilyow (Mogilev), Minsk, Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; Russian spelling provided for reference when different from Belarusian |
| Independence | 16 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia and Germany); 11 March 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 6 July 1253 (coronation of MINDAUGAS, traditional founding date); 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created) | 25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| National holiday | Independence Day (or National Day), 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania established its statehood and its concomitant independence from Soviet Russia and Germany; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared the restoration of Lithuanian statehood and its concomitant independence from the Soviet Union | Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 25 October 1992, entered into force 2 November 1992 amendments: proposed by at least one fourth of all Parliament members or by petition of at least 300,000 voters; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of two readings three months apart and a presidential signature; amendments to constitutional articles on national sovereignty and constitutional amendment procedure also require three-fourths voter approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2019 | history: several previous; latest drafted between late 1991 and early 1994, signed 15 March 1994 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic through petition to the National Assembly or by petition of least 150,000 eligible voters; approval required by at least two-thirds majority vote in both chambers or by simple majority of votes cast in a referendum; amended 1996, 2004 |
| Legal system | civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the Constitutional Court | civil law system; note - nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000 |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Gitanas NAUSEDA (since 12 July 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Ingrida SIMONYTE (since 24 November 2020) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by Parliament elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 12 and 26 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2024); prime minister appointed by the president, approved by Parliament election results: Gitanas NAUSEDA elected president in second round; percent of vote - Gitanas NAUSEDA (independent) 66.7%, Ingrida SIMONYTE (independent) 33.3%; Saulius SKVERNELIS (LVZS) approved as prime minister by Parliament vote - 62 to 10 | chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Roman GOLOVCHENKO (since 4 June 2020); First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai SNOPKOV (since 4 June 2020); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir KUKHAREV, Igor PETRISHENKO (since 18 August 2018), Yury NAZAROV (since 3 March 2020), Aleksander Subbotin (since 4 June 2020) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); first election took place on 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999; however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held on 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run and win in a third (19 March 2006), fourth (19 December 2010), fifth (11 October 2015), and sixth (9 August 2020); next election in 2025; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (independent) 80.2%, Sviatana TSIKHANOUSKAYA (independent) 9.9%, other 9.9%; note - widespread street protests erupted following announcement of the election results amid allegations of voter fraud |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote and 70 directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 11 and 25 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2024) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TS-LKD 50, LVZS 32, LSDP 13, LRLS 13, Freedom 11, DP 10, AWPL 3, LSDDP 3, LT 1, Greens 1, independent 4; composition - men 103, women 38, percent of women 27% | description: bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobraniye consists of: Council of the Republic or Sovet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members indirectly elected by regional and Minsk city councils and 8 members appointed by the president; members serve 4-year terms) House of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms) elections: Council of the Republic - indirect election last held on 7 November 2019 House of Representatives - last held on 17 November 2019 (next to be held in 2023); OSCE observers determined that the election was neither free nor impartial and that vote counting was problematic in a number of polling stations; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won every seat; international observers determined that the previous elections, on 28 September 2008, 23 September 2012, and 11 September 2016 also fell short of democratic standards, with pro-LUKASHENKO candidates winning every, or virtually every, seat election results: Council of the Republic - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - NA House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KPB 11, Republican Party of Labor and Justice 6, Belarusian Patriotic Party 2, LDP 1, AP 1, independent 89; composition - men 66, women 44, percent of women 40%; note - total National Assembly percent of women - NA note: the US does not recognize the legitimacy of the National Assembly |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 37 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Seimas; judges serve 5-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Seimas from nominations - 3 each by the president of the republic, the Seimas chairperson, and the Supreme Court president; judges serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms; one-third of membership reconstituted every 3 years subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; district and local courts | highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chairman and deputy chairman and organized into several specialized panels, including economic and military; number of judges set by the president of the republic and the court chairman); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 judges, including a chairman and deputy chairman) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Council of the Republic; judges initially appointed for 5 years and evaluated for life appointment; Constitutional Court judges - 6 appointed by the president and 6 elected by the Council of the Republic; the presiding judge directly elected by the president and approved by the Council of the Republic; judges can serve for 11 years with an age limit of 70 subordinate courts: oblast courts; Minsk City Court; town courts; Minsk city and oblast economic courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASEVSKI] Farmers and Greens Union or LVZS [Ramunas KARBAUSKIS] Freedom Party or LP [Ausrine ARMONAITE] Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS-LKD [Gabrielius LANDSBERGIS] Labor Party or DP [Viktor USPASKICH] Lithuanian Center Party or LCP [Naglis PUTEIKIS] Lithuanian Green Party or LZP [Remigijus LAPINSKAS]] Lithuanian Liberal Movement or LS or LRLS [Viktorija CMILYTE] Lithuanian List or LL [Darius KUOLYS] Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Gintautas PALUCKAS] Lithuanian Social Democratic Labor Party or LSDDP [Gediminas KIRKILAS] Freedom and Justice Party or LT [Remigijus ZEMAITAITIS] | pro-government parties: Belarusian Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY] Belarusian Patriotic Party [Nikolai ULAKHOVICH] Belarusian Social Sport Party [Vladimir ALEKSANDROVICH] Communist Party of Belarus or KPB [Aleksei SOKOL] Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH] Republican Party [Vladimir BELOZOR] Republican Party of Labor and Justice [Vasiliy ZADNEPRYANIY] Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord [Sergei YERMAK] opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party [Paval SEVIARYNETS, Volha KAVALKOVA, Vital RYMASHEWSKI] (unregistered) Belarusian Party of the Green [Anastasiya DOROFEYEVA] Belarusian Party of the Left "Just World" [Sergey KALYAKIN] Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Ryhor KASTUSEU] Belarusian Social-Democratic Assembly [Sergei CHERECHEN] Belarusian Social Democratic Party ("Assembly") or BSDPH [Ihar BARYSAU] Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly) [Mikalay STATKEVICH] (unregistered) Christian Conservative Party or BPF [Zyanon PAZNYAK] United Civic Party or UCP [Nikolay KOZLOV] |
| International organization participation | Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAEU, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Audra PLEPYTE (since 7 July 2021) chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 email address and website: info@usa.mfa.lt https://usa.mfa.lt/usa/en/ consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant; recalled by Belarus in 2008); Charge d'Affaires Dmitry BASIK (since 9 July 2019) chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1606 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 email address and website: usa@mfa.gov.by consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. GILCHRIST (since 4 February 2020) embassy: Akmenu gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 mailing address: 4510 Vilnius Place, Washington DC 20521-4510 telephone: [370] (5) 266-5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266-5510 email address and website: consec@state.gov https://lt.usembassy.gov/ | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant; left in 2008 upon insistence of Belarusian Government); Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey GIAUQUE (since July 2020) embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002 mailing address: 7010 Minsk Place, Washington DC 20521-7010 telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83/217-73-47/217-73-48 FAX: [375] (17) 334-78-53 email address and website: ConsularMinsk@state.gov https://by.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red; yellow symbolizes golden fields, as well as the sun, light, and goodness; green represents the forests of the countryside, in addition to nature, freedom, and hope; red stands for courage and the blood spilled in defense of the homeland | red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red; the red band color recalls past struggles from oppression, the green band represents hope and the many forests of the country |
| National anthem | name: "Tautiska giesme" (The National Song) lyrics/music: Vincas KUDIRKA note: adopted 1918, restored 1990; written in 1898 while Lithuania was a part of Russia; banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990 | name: "My, Bielarusy" (We Belarusians) lyrics/music: Mikhas KLIMKOVICH and Uladzimir KARYZNA/Nester SAKALOUSKI note: music adopted 1955, lyrics adopted 2002; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Belarus kept the music of its Soviet-era anthem but adopted new lyrics; also known as "Dziarzauny himn Respubliki Bielarus" (State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus) |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| National symbol(s) | mounted knight known as Vytis (the Chaser), white stork; national colors: yellow, green, red | no clearly defined current national symbol, the mounted knight known as Pahonia (the Chaser) is the traditional Belarusian symbol; national colors: green, red, white |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Lithuania dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Belarus dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
Economy
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Economy - overview | After the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, Lithuania faced an initial dislocation that is typical during transitions from a planned economy to a free-market economy. Macroeconomic stabilization policies, including privatization of most state-owned enterprises, and a strong commitment to a currency board arrangement led to an open and rapidly growing economy and rising consumer demand. Foreign investment and EU funding aided in the transition. Lithuania joined the WTO in May 2001, the EU in May 2004, and the euro zone in January 2015, and is now working to complete the OECD accession roadmap it received in July 2015. In 2017, joined the OECD Working Group on Bribery, an important step in the OECD accession process. The Lithuanian economy was severely hit by the 2008-09 global financial crisis, but it has rebounded and become one of the fastest growing in the EU. Increases in exports, investment, and wage growth that supported consumption helped the economy grow by 3.6% in 2017. In 2015, Russia was Lithuania's largest trading partner, followed by Poland, Germany, and Latvia; goods and services trade between the US and Lithuania totaled $2.2 billion. Lithuania opened a self-financed liquefied natural gas terminal in January 2015, providing the first non-Russian supply of natural gas to the Baltic States and reducing Lithuania's dependence on Russian gas from 100% to approximately 30% in 2016. Lithuania's ongoing recovery hinges on improving the business environment, especially by liberalizing labor laws, and improving competitiveness and export growth, the latter hampered by economic slowdowns in the EU and Russia. In addition, a steady outflow of young and highly educated people is causing a shortage of skilled labor, which, combined with a rapidly aging population, could stress public finances and constrain long-term growth. | As part of the former Soviet Union, Belarus had a relatively well-developed industrial base, but it is now outdated, inefficient, and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets. The country's agricultural base is largely dependent on government subsidies. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, an initial burst of economic reforms included privatization of state enterprises, creation of private property rights, and the acceptance of private entrepreneurship, but by 1994 the reform effort dissipated. About 80% of industry remains in state hands, and foreign investment has virtually disappeared. Several businesses have been renationalized. State-owned entities account for 70-75% of GDP, and state banks make up 75% of the banking sector. Economic output declined for several years following the break-up of the Soviet Union, but revived in the mid-2000s. Belarus has only small reserves of crude oil and imports crude oil and natural gas from Russia at subsidized, below market, prices. Belarus derives export revenue by refining Russian crude and selling it at market prices. Russia and Belarus have had serious disagreements over prices and quantities for Russian energy. Beginning in early 2016, Russia claimed Belarus began accumulating debt - reaching $740 million by April 2017 - for paying below the agreed price for Russian natural gas and Russia cut back its export of crude oil as a result of the debt. In April 2017, Belarus agreed to pay its gas debt and Russia restored the flow of crude. New non-Russian foreign investment has been limited in recent years, largely because of an unfavorable financial climate. In 2011, a financial crisis lead to a nearly three-fold devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. The Belarusian economy has continued to struggle under the weight of high external debt servicing payments and a trade deficit. In mid-December 2014, the devaluation of the Russian ruble triggered a near 40% devaluation of the Belarusian ruble. Belarus's economy stagnated between 2012 and 2016, widening productivity and income gaps between Belarus and neighboring countries. Budget revenues dropped because of falling global prices on key Belarusian export commodities. Since 2015, the Belarusian government has tightened its macro-economic policies, allowed more flexibility to its exchange rate, taken some steps towards price liberalization, and reduced subsidized government lending to state-owned enterprises. Belarus returned to modest growth in 2017, largely driven by improvement of external conditions and Belarus issued sovereign debt for the first time since 2011, which provided the country with badly-needed liquidity, and issued $600 million worth of Eurobonds in February 2018, predominantly to US and British investors. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | $103.756 billion (2019 est.) $99.442 billion (2018 est.) $95.675 billion (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $181.286 billion (2019 est.) $179.098 billion (2018 est.) $173.63 billion (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.33% (2019 est.) 3.99% (2018 est.) 4.37% (2017 est.) | 1.22% (2019 est.) 3.17% (2018 est.) 2.53% (2017 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $37,231 (2019 est.) $35,496 (2018 est.) $33,827 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars | $19,150 (2019 est.) $18,885 (2018 est.) $18,280 (2017 est.) note: data are in 2010 dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.5% (2017 est.) industry: 29.4% (2017 est.) services: 67.2% (2017 est.) | agriculture: 8.1% (2017 est.) industry: 40.8% (2017 est.) services: 51.1% (2017 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 20.6% (2018 est.) | 5% (2019 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 28.8% (2015) | lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 21.9% (2008) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.3% (2019 est.) 2.7% (2018 est.) 3.7% (2017 est.) | 5.6% (2019 est.) 4.8% (2018 est.) 6% (2017 est.) |
| Labor force | 1.333 million (2020 est.) | 4.381 million (2016 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 9.1% industry: 25.2% services: 65.8% (2015 est.) | agriculture: 9.7% industry: 23.4% services: 66.8% (2015 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 8.4% (2019 est.) 8.5% (2018 est.) | 0.8% (2017 est.) 1% (2016 est.) note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 37.3 (2017 est.) 35 (2014) | 25.2 (2018 est.) 21.7 (1998) |
| Budget | revenues: 15.92 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 15.7 billion (2017 est.) | revenues: 22.15 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 20.57 billion (2017 est.) |
| Industries | metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, televisions, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture, textiles, food processing, fertilizer, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, lasers, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry, information technology, video game development, app/software development, biotechnology | metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances |
| Industrial production growth rate | 5.9% (2017 est.) | 5.6% (2017 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | wheat, milk, sugar beet, rapeseed, barley, triticale, potatoes, oats, peas, beans | milk, potatoes, sugar beet, wheat, triticale, barley, maize, rye, rapeseed, poultry |
| Exports | $45.358 billion (2019 est.) $41.433 billion (2018 est.) $38.763 billion (2017 est.) | $28.65 billion (2017 est.) $22.98 billion (2016 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | refined petroleum, furniture, cigarettes, wheat, polyethylene (2019) | refined petroleum, fertilizers, cheese, delivery trucks, crude petroleum (2019) |
| Exports - partners | Russia 13%, Latvia 9%, Poland 8%, Germany 7%, Estonia 5% (2019) | Russia 42%, Ukraine 13%, United Kingdom 7% (2019) |
| Imports | $43.733 billion (2019 est.) $41.131 billion (2018 est.) $38.745 billion (2017 est.) | $31.58 billion (2017 est.) $25.61 billion (2016 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, cars, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, electricity (2019) | crude petroleum, natural gas, cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment (2019) |
| Imports - partners | Poland 12%, Russia 12%, Germany 12%, Latvia 7%, Netherlands 5% (2019) | Russia 57%, China 7%, Poland 5%, Germany 5%, Ukraine 5% (2019) |
| Debt - external | $37.859 billion (2019 est.) $41.999 billion (2018 est.) | $39.847 billion (2019 est.) $39.297 billion (2018 est.) |
| Exchange rates | litai (LTL) per US dollar - 0.82771 (2020 est.) 0.90338 (2019 est.) 0.87789 (2018 est.) 0.9012 (2014 est.) 0.7525 (2013 est.) | Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 1.9 (2017 est.) 2 (2016 est.) 2 (2015 est.) 15,926 (2014 est.) 10,224.1 (2013 est.) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Public debt | 39.7% of GDP (2017 est.) 40.1% of GDP (2016 est.) note: official data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are sold at public auctions | 53.4% of GDP (2017 est.) 53.5% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $4.45 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.697 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $7.315 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $4.927 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
| Current Account Balance | $1.817 billion (2019 est.) $131 million (2018 est.) | -$931 million (2017 est.) -$1.669 billion (2016 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate) | $54.597 billion (2019 est.) | $63.168 billion (2019 est.) |
| Credit ratings | Fitch rating: A (2020) Moody's rating: A3 (2015) Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2020) | Fitch rating: B (2018) Moody's rating: B3 (2018) Standard & Poors rating: B (2017) |
| Ease of Doing Business Index scores | Overall score: 81.6 (2020) Starting a Business score: 93.3 (2020) Trading score: 97.8 (2020) Enforcement score: 78.8 (2020) | Overall score: 74.3 (2020) Starting a Business score: 93.5 (2020) Trading score: 96.5 (2020) Enforcement score: 67.6 (2020) |
| Taxes and other revenues | 33.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | 40.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.) | 2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 11.9% male: 14.1% female: 9.3% (2019 est.) | total: 10.2% male: 12.9% female: 7.3% (2019 est.) |
| GDP - composition, by end use | household consumption: 63.9% (2017 est.) government consumption: 16.6% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 18.8% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: -1.3% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 81.6% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -79.3% (2017 est.) | household consumption: 54.8% (2017 est.) government consumption: 14.6% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 24.9% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 5.7% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 67% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -67% (2017 est.) |
| Gross national saving | 20.8% of GDP (2019 est.) 20.8% of GDP (2018 est.) 20% of GDP (2017 est.) | 27.8% of GDP (2019 est.) 29.2% of GDP (2018 est.) 28% of GDP (2017 est.) |
Energy
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 3.131 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 31.58 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption | 10.5 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 31.72 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - exports | 730 million kWh (2015 est.) | 3.482 billion kWh (2015 est.) |
| Electricity - imports | 11.11 billion kWh (2016 est.) | 6.319 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Oil - production | 2,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) | 31,000 bbl/day (2018 est.) |
| Oil - imports | 182,900 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 468,400 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Oil - exports | 1,002 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 31,730 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves | 12 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.) | 198 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 0 cu m (2016 est.) | 2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) |
| Natural gas - production | 0 cu m (2017 est.) | 59.46 million cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption | 2.492 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 17.7 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports | 0 cu m (2017 est.) | 0 cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports | 2.492 billion cu m (2017 est.) | 17.53 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 3.71 million kW (2016 est.) | 10.04 million kW (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 73% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) | 96% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Electricity - from nuclear fuels | 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 23% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) | 3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 196,500 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 477,200 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 58,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) | 141,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 174,800 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 351,200 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 42,490 bbl/day (2015 est.) | 14,630 bbl/day (2015 est.) |
| Electricity access | electrification - total population: 100% (2020) | electrification - total population: 100% (2020) |
Telecommunications
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | total subscriptions: 368,213 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13.3 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 4,451,144 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46.88 (2019 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | total subscriptions: 4,658,823 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 168.29 (2019 est.) | total subscriptions: 11,627,249 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122.46 (2019 est.) |
| Internet country code | .lt | .by |
| Internet users | total: 2,226,806 percent of population: 79.72% (July 2018 est.) | total: 7,539,145 percent of population: 79.13% (July 2018 est.) |
| Telecommunication systems | general assessment: Lithuania's small telecom market is among the most advanced in Europe, with universal access to LTE, extensive fiber footprint, and tests of 5G; operators focus on data speeds; improved international capability and better residential access; high SIM card penetration; increased demand for high-speed Internet for education, entertainment, and shopping during pandemic supporting growth in revenue through fiber lines; importer of broadcast equipment and video displays from neighboring EU countries (2021) (2020)domestic: 13 per 100 for fixed-line subscriptions; rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of fixed-line connections; mobile-cellular teledensity stands at about 169 per 100 persons (2019) international: country code - 370; landing points for the BCS East, BCS East-West Interlink and NordBalt connecting Lithuania to Sweden, and Latvia ; further transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland (2019) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments | general assessment: government owns and administers backbone network and much of telecom market with no independent regulator; government and telecom regulator are concluding three major programs aimed at developing the telecom sector and digital economy to enable 5G services and extension of fiber infrastructure; growing applications for smart cities; developing mobile broadband and data services to rural areas; commercial LTE services extended to 80% of the population; operators provide standalone 5G service and NB-IoT services; international connection through fiber optic and terrestrial link, nascent satellite system; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021) (2020)domestic: fixed-line teledensity is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved, 48 per 100 fixed-line; mobile-cellular teledensity now approaches 123 telephones per 100 persons (2019) international: country code - 375; Belarus is landlocked and therefore a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations; almost 31,000 base stations in service in 2019 (2020) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments |
| Broadband - fixed subscriptions | total: 791,826 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28.6 (2019 est.) | total: 3,214,869 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33.86 (2019 est.) |
| Broadcast media | public broadcaster operates 3 channels with the third channel - a satellite channel - introduced in 2007; various privately owned commercial TV broadcasters operate national and multiple regional channels; many privately owned local TV stations; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services available; publicly owned broadcaster operates 3 radio networks; many privately owned commercial broadcasters, with repeater stations in various regions throughout the country | 7 state-controlled national TV channels; Polish and Russian TV broadcasts are available in some areas; state-run Belarusian Radio operates 5 national networks and an external service; Russian and Polish radio broadcasts are available (2019) |
Transportation
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Railways | total: 1,768 km (2014) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2014) broad gauge: 1,746 km 1.520-m gauge (122 km electrified) (2014) | total: 5,528 km (2014) standard gauge: 25 km 1.435-m gauge (2014) broad gauge: 5,503 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) (2014) |
| Roadways | total: 84,166 km (2012) paved: 72,297 km (includes 312 km of expressways) (2012) unpaved: 11,869 km (2012) | total: 86,600 km (2017) |
| Waterways | 441 km (navigable year-round) (2007) | 2,500 km (major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Neman Rivers and the south-flowing Dnepr River and its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Pripyat Rivers) (2011) |
| Pipelines | 1921 km gas, 121 km refined products (2013) | 5386 km gas, 1589 km oil, 1730 km refined products (2013) |
| Ports and terminals | major seaport(s): Klaipeda oil terminal(s): Butinge oil terminal LNG terminal(s) (import): Klaipeda | river port(s): Mazyr (Prypyats') |
| Merchant marine | total: 61 by type: container ship 4, general cargo 23, oil tanker 2, other 32 (2020) | total: 4 by type: other 4 (2020) |
| Airports | total: 61 (2013) | total: 65 (2013) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 22 (2017) over 3,047 m: 3 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 (2017) 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2017) under 914 m: 9 (2017) | total: 33 (2017) over 3,047 m: 1 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2017) 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2017) under 914 m: 7 (2017) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 39 (2013) over 3,047 m: 1 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2013) under 914 m: 36 (2013) | total: 32 (2013) over 3,047 m: 1 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2013) under 914 m: 28 (2013) |
| National air transport system | number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 50 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 26,031 (2018) | number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 30 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,760,168 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1.9 million mt-km (2018) |
| Civil aircraft registration country code prefix | LY | EW |
Military
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos Ginkluotosios Pajegos): Land Forces (Sausumos Pajegos), Naval Forces (Karines Juru Pajegos), Air Forces (Karines Oro Pajegos), Special Operations Forces (Specialiuju Operaciju Pajegos); National Defense Volunteer Forces (Savanoriu Pajegos); National Riflemen's Union (paramilitary force that acts as an additional reserve force) (2021) | Belarus Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force, Special Troops (electronic warfare, signals, engineers, biological/chemical/nuclear protection troops, etc); Ministry of Interior: State Border Troops, Militia, Internal Troops (2021) |
| Military service age and obligation | 19-26 years of age for conscripted military service (males); 9-month service obligation; in 2015, Lithuania reinstated conscription after having converted to a professional military in 2008; 18-38 for voluntary service (male and female) (2019) | 18-27 years of age for compulsory military or alternative service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months, depending on academic qualifications, and 24-36 months for alternative service, depending on academic qualifications; 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2020) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.13% of GDP (2020 est.) 2% of GDP (2019) 1.97% of GDP (2018) 1.71% of GDP (2017) 1.48% of GDP (2016) | 1.2% of GDP (2019) 1.2% of GDP (2018) 1.2% of GDP (2017) 1.3% of GDP (2016) 1.3% of GDP (2015) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Lithuanian Armed Forces have approximately 16,000 active duty personnel (12,500 Army, including about 5,000 National Defense Voluntary Forces; 600 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 2,000 other, including special operations forces, logistics support, training, etc); est. 11,000 Riflemen Union (2021) | the Belarus Armed Forces have approximately 45,000 active duty troops; information on the individual services varies, but probably includes about 25,000 Army, 15,000 Air/Air Defense, and 5,000 Special Operations forces (2020) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Lithuanian Armed Forces' inventory is mostly a mix of Western weapons systems and Soviet-era equipment (primarily aircraft and helicopters); Germany and the UK are the leading suppliers of armaments to Lithuania since 2010 (2020) | the inventory of the Belarus Armed Forces is comprised of Russian-origin equipment; Belarus's defense industry manufactures some equipment, including vehicles, guided weapons, and electronic warfare systems (2021) |
| Military deployments | contributes about 350-550 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Warsaw and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units | contributes forces to CSTO's Rapid Reaction Force (2020) |
Transnational Issues
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Disputes - international | Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation | boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its border with Belarus |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation | limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards and was weakened further when know-your-customer requirements were curtailed in 2008; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons | stateless persons: 2,720 (2020) | stateless persons: 6,296 (2020) |
Environment
| Lithuania | Belarus | |
|---|---|---|
| Air pollutants | particulate matter emissions: 11.49 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 12.96 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 3.15 megatons (2020 est.) | particulate matter emissions: 18.06 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 58.28 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 17.19 megatons (2020 est.) |
| Total water withdrawal | municipal: 130.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 69.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 58.9 million cubic meters (2017 est.) | municipal: 523 million cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 443 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 431 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Revenue from forest resources | forest revenues: 0.31% of GDP (2018 est.) | forest revenues: 1.02% of GDP (2018 est.) |
| Revenue from coal | coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.) | coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.) |
| Waste and recycling | municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.3 million tons (2015 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 297,960 tons (2015 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 22.9% (2015 est.) | municipal solid waste generated annually: 4.28 million tons (2015 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 684,800 tons (2016 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 16% (2016 est.) |
Source: CIA Factbook
