Demographics of Lithuania - Languages

Languages

Native languages in Lithuania, 2001 census.
Lithuanian   82%
Russian   8%
Polish   5.6%
Belorussian   0.46%
Ukrainian   0.235%
Other   0.28%
Unspecified   3.5%
Knowledge of foreign languages in Lithuania in 2005, according to Eurostat.
Russian   80%
English   32%
Polish   15%

The Lithuanian language is the country's sole official language countrywide. It is the first language of 82% of population and is also spoken by 356,000 out of 577,000 non-Lithuanians. The Soviet era had imposed the official use of Russian, so most adult Lithuanians speak Russian as a second language, while the Polish population generally speaks Polish. Russians who immigrated after World War II speak Russian as their first language. The younger generation usually speaks English as their second language. According to census of 2001, 17% of population can speak English fluently (21% in urban areas, 9% in rural areas).

Approximately 30,600 pupils started their 2003 school year in schools where the entire curriculum is conducted in Russian (down from 76,000 in 1991), and about 20,500 enrolled in Polish schools (up from 11,400 in 1991). There are also schools in the Belarusian language (these enrolled about 160 students in 2003), as well as in German.

There are perhaps 50 speakers of Karaim, a Turkic language spoken by Karaite Jews, in Lithuania.

Read more about this topic:  Demographics Of Lithuania

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