Illustrative photo. Photo: Nasha Niva
The number of Belarusians in Lithuania continues to decrease
As of January 1, 2025, there were 57,511 Belarusian citizens with all types of residence permits in Lithuania. Within a year, their number decreased by 7,225 people. As of January 1, 2026, 50,286 Belarusians with all types of residence permits remain in Lithuania.
Notably, the number of Belarusian citizens holding residence permits in Lithuania has not been decreasing for the first year. However, 2025 became a record year for the outflow of Belarusians from Lithuania. For comparison: in 2024, the number of Belarusians with residence permits in Lithuania decreased by 4,656 people.
Павялічыць
This is the top 10 countries whose citizens hold residence permits in Lithuania. Photo: screenshot from lrv.lt website
The maximum number of Belarusians with Lithuanian residence permits (all types) was recorded as of April 1, 2024 — 62,844 people. Until then, the number of Belarusians in Lithuania with valid residence permits was growing (for comparison: on January 1, 2021, 23,440 Belarusians held residence permits in Lithuania). But later the trend changed.
Meanwhile, the number of Belarusians with permanent residence permits (PRP) is slightly increasing. In 2025, their number grew from 3,773 to 3,958 people.
It is worth noting that out of 50 thousand Belarusians with residence permits in Lithuania, only about half actually reside there. The fact is that Belarusians in Lithuania most often work as long-haul truckers.
For example, as of 2024, about 25 thousand Belarusian citizens with residence permits in Lithuania worked as international drivers. This accounted for about 72% of all employed Belarusians in Lithuania.
Павялічыць
Illustrative photo. Photo: Nasha Niva
Almost all of them spend very little time in Lithuania itself, as they usually perform trips throughout Europe and spend only a few days in Lithuania between shifts, after which they return to Belarus for their break.
Overall, Belarusians in Lithuania, by the number of residence permit holders, are second only to Ukrainians, who hold 79,868 residence permits in this country. Russian citizens come in third — 13,723 people.
On what grounds do Belarusians most often receive residence permits in Lithuania?
Out of 50,286 Belarusians, 35,335 received residence permits on the basis of employment.
Also notable are specialists who received residence permits on the basis of high qualifications (Blue Card). Out of 5,144 foreigners with Blue Cards in Lithuania, 3,010 people are citizens of Belarus.
Павялічыць
Business center of Vilnius. Photo: Nasha Niva
As for residence permits on humanitarian grounds, as of January 1, 2026, 1,142 Belarusians hold them. A year earlier, there were 947 such people (+195).
But this does not mean that only 1,142 Belarusian citizens are hiding from repression in Lithuania. As early as the end of 2024, in a comment to Nasha Niva, Vytis Jurkonis, director of Freedom House Vilnius, expressed the opinion that up to 10,000 Belarusian citizens might be residing in Lithuania on humanitarian grounds.
It’s just that most of them received regular work residence permits or Blue Cards. One of the reasons why humanitarian residence permits were not popular from the very beginning is the fact that, prior to changes in Lithuanian legislation, residence permits on humanitarian grounds were issued for only one year (since 2024, they began to be issued for 3 years). Because of this, many preferred other types of residence permits, which were issued immediately for 2–3 years.