By Enrika Gecaitė, LRT.lt.
Birth rates in Lithuania are falling year on year, with the government warning of a demographic crisis. Now, it’s putting forward proposals to encourage people to have more children.
Over the past five years, the number of babies born in the country has fallen by 6,000. On average, births decline by around 1,500 each year. For example, in 2024, more than 19,000 children were born, while last year the figure dropped to about 17,500.
Experts stress that priority is increasingly given to education, careers and financial stability.
“There is now a lot of discussion about a new trend: short-term employment relationships and temporary contracts are often cited as one of the reasons why younger people, particularly those aged 20 to 25, are not really considering having children at that stage of life,” says demographer Vytenis Juozas Deimantas.
According to President Gitanas Nausėda, the falling birth rate poses a threat to national security. He argues that families need incentives.
Read more: LRT.LT
