Russia-Ukraine war drives refugees into Lithuania

VILNIUS: Three quarters of foreigners that settled in Lithuania in 2022 were refugees fleeing Ukraine as a result of the ongoing war, official figures revealed.

According to Statistics Lithuania, traditionally, most Lithuanians repatriate from the UK, Norway and Germany, reports Xinhua news agency.

Last year, the corresponding figures were 5,684, 1,546, and 1,369, respectively.

It also saw 14,352 Lithuanians repatriating to, and 12,697 leaving the country, according to government statistics.

In 2022, 95,400 people immigrated to Lithuania, and 23,000 people left the country.

Among all immigrated people, there are 81,000 foreigners and three quarters of them are refugees from Ukraine.

The country registered 62,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine in 2022, Statistics Lithuania said.

The last "migration negative" year was 2019, with 24,510 arrivals and 20,412 departures.

Last year, the total number of permanent residents in Lithuania increased by 54,000 to 2,860,000, mainly due to the influx of refugees from Ukraine, Statistics Lithuania reported in January.