By Edgaras Savickas, LRT.lt.

The number of Lithuanians emigrating to the United Kingdom, Norway and Germany has fallen in recent years, according to data from Lithuania’s State Tax Inspectorate (VMI). At the same time, there are signs of a growing, if modest, trend towards so-called tax haven destinations.

Traditional destinations losing ground

It is worth noting that VMI figures reflect only the number of people who formally declared their departure to a given country in a given year – not the total number of Lithuanians living there. As both the State Data Agency and the Migration Department explained to LRT.lt, that broader data is held only by the authorities of the destination countries themselves.

Official Lithuanian statistics show that overall emigration has increased in recent years, most notably to Belarus and within the “other countries” category, while those choosing the UK, Norway and Germany have fallen.

VMI data tells the same story. Last year, 6,299 people declared their departure to the United Kingdom – a drop of 34% compared with 2023. Departures to Norway fell by 19% to 3,060, and to Germany by 24% to 2,653.

Indrė Genytė-Pikčienė, chief economist at Artea bank, noted that these countries have historically dominated Lithuanian emigration patterns.

Read more: LRT.LT