Lithuanian - Worldwide Distribution

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Picture Writing with inkSpread of the Lithuanian languageLithuanian (local name: lietuvių kalba) belongs to the Baltic language family and is the only official language of Lithuania. Outside the country, it is practically only spoken by a minority in neighboring Latvia.

In total, there are only around 2.5 million native speakers of Lithuanian.

Historical development of the language

Historical documents indicate that Lithuanian has existed for at least 1000 years, with the first written records dating back to the 16th century. The language developed from Proto-Balto-Slavic, which in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European. As a result of this development, modern Lithuanian has retained many archaic features that are no longer present in other Indo-European languages.

In the Middle Ages, when Lithuania was a large and powerful Grand Duchy, the language played a central role in administration and legal life. The 16th century marked a turning point with the production of the first known printed text, the Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas (1547), which contributed to the spread of the language and education.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Lithuanian experienced a national revival, during which it was freed from the oppression of Tsarist Russia, which promoted the Russian language. In 1904, the Lithuanian language was officially introduced in Lithuania. Since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, Lithuania has standardized and promoted its language.

Distribution Lithuanian► Interactive map

CountryRegionOfficial languageDistributionTotal
LithuaniaNorthern Europeyes86.4 %2,495,000
LatviaNorthern Europeno1.1 %21,000
PolandEastern Europeno0.1 %18,000
BelarusEastern Europeno0.1 %9,000
Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers — not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Lithuanian as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.

Official language, national language or lingua franca: explanation of frequently used terms🔎︎

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