Editing Demographics of Lithuania (section)

===After World War II===
Among the [[Baltic states]], Lithuania has the most homogeneous population. According to the [[Lithuanian census of 2021|census conducted in 2021]], 84.6% of the population identified themselves as [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanians]], 6.5% as [[Polish people|Poles]], 5.0% as [[Russians]], 1.0% as [[Belarusians]], and 2.3% as members of other ethnic groups.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
Population of Lithuania according to ethnic group 1959–2021
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan="2" | census 1959<sup>1</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1970<sup>2</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1979<sup>3</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 1989<sup>4</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 2001<sup>5</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 2011<sup>6</sup>
! colspan="2" | census 2021<sup>7<ref>{{cite web | url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/gyventoju-ir-bustu-surasymai1 | title=Gyventojų ir būstų surašymai – Oficialiosios statistikos portalas | access-date=2022-05-21 | archive-date=2022-06-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619115401/https://osp.stat.gov.lt/gyventoju-ir-bustu-surasymai1 | url-status=live }}</ref></sup>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Lithuanians]]
| align="right" | 2,150,767
| align="right" | 79.3
| align="right" | 2,506,751
| align="right" | 80.1
| align="right" | 2,712,233
| align="right" | 80.0
| align="right" | 2,924,251
| align="right" | 79.6
| align="right" | 2,907,293
| align="right" | 83.4
| align="right" | 2,561,314
| align="right" | 84.2
| align="right" | 2,378,118
| align="right" | 84.61
|-
| [[Polish people|Poles]]
| align="right" | 230,107
| align="right" | 8.5
| align="right" | 240,203
| align="right" | 7.7
| align="right" | 247,022
| align="right" | 7.3
| align="right" | 257,994
| align="right" | 7.0
| align="right" | 234,989
| align="right" | 6.7
| align="right" | 200,317
| align="right" | 6.6
| align="right" | 183,421
| align="right" | 6.53
|-
| [[Russians]]
| align="right" | 231,014
| align="right" | 8.5
| align="right" | 267,989
| align="right" | 8.6
| align="right" | 303,493
| align="right" | 8.9
| align="right" | 344,455
| align="right" | 9.4
| align="right" | 219,789
| align="right" | 6.3
| align="right" | 176,913
| align="right" | 5.8
| align="right" | 141,122
| align="right" | 5.02
|-
| [[Belarusians]]
| align="right" | 30,256
| align="right" | 1.1
| align="right" | 45,412
| align="right" | 1.5
| align="right" | 57,584
| align="right" | 1.7
| align="right" | 63,169
| align="right" | 1.7
| align="right" | 42,866
| align="right" | 1.2
| align="right" | 36,227
| align="right" | 1.2
| align="right" | 28,183
| align="right" | 1.00
|-
| [[Ukrainians]]
| align="right" | 17,692
| align="right" | 0.7
| align="right" | 25,099
| align="right" | 0.8
| align="right" | 31,982
| align="right" | 0.9
| align="right" | 44,789
| align="right" | 1.2
| align="right" | 22,488
| align="right" | 0.6
| align="right" | 16,423
| align="right" | 0.5
| align="right" | 14,168
| align="right" | 0.50
|-
| [[Jews]]
| align="right" | 24,667
| align="right" | 0.9
| align="right" | 23,538
| align="right" | 0.8
| align="right" | 14,691
| align="right" | 0.4
| align="right" | 12,390
| align="right" | 0.3
| align="right" | 4,007
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,050
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,256
| align="right" | 0.08
|-
| [[Romani people|Romani]]
| align="right" | 1,238
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 1,880
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,306
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,718
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,571
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,115
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,251
| align="right" | 0.08
|-
| [[Tatars]]
| align="right" | 3,020
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,454
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,984
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 5,135
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,235
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,793
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,142
| align="right" | 0.08
|-
| [[Germans]]
| align="right" | 11,166
| align="right" | 0.4
| align="right" | 1,904
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,616
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,058
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 3,243
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,418
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 1,977
| align="right" | 0.07
|-
| [[Latvians]]
| align="right" | 6,318
| align="right" | 0.2
| align="right" | 5,063
| align="right" | 0.2
| align="right" | 4,354
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 4,229
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,955
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 2,025
| align="right" | 0.1
| align="right" | 1,572
| align="right" | 0.06
|-
| [[Armenians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 1,125
| align="right" | 0.04
|-
| [[Azerbaijanis]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 575
| align="right" | 0.02
|-
| [[Moldovans]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 451
| align="right" | 0.02
|-
| [[Georgians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 333
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Estonians]]
| align="right" | 352
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 551
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 546
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 598
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 400
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 314
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 233
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Kazakhs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" | 
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" |  
| align="right" | 214
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Crimean Karaites|Karaites]]
| align="right" | 423
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 388
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 352
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 289
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 273
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 241
| align="right" | 0.0
| align="right" | 192
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Chuvashs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 177
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Greeks]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 134
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Lezgins]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 131
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Uzbeks]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 126
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Mordvins]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 121
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Ossetians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 118
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Bulgarians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 110
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Chinese people|Chinese]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 97
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Chechens]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 85
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Bashkirs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 81
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Turkish people|Turks]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 78
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Hungarians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 76
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 75
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[French people|French]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 71
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Romanians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 68
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Finns]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 68
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Udmurts]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 67
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Koreans]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 62
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Mari people|Maris]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 60
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Komis]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 54
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Italians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 52
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Britons]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 48
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Arabs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 48
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Karelians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 47
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Danes]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 44
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Tajiks]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 42
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Czechs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 27
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Dutch people|Dutch]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 25
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Turkmens]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 25
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Spaniards|Spanish]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 24
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Egyptians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 23
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Swedes]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 21
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Serbs]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 19
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Gagauzes]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 18
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Afghans]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 16
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Abazins]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 14
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Mexicans]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 14
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Norwegians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 14
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Punjabis]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 14
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Albanians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 13
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 13
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Brazilians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 13
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Japanese people|Japanese]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 12
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Abkhazians]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 11
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| [[Kalmyks]]
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 10
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| Other
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 330
| align="right" | 0.01
|-
| Not indicated
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 
| align="right" | 49,633
| align="right" | 1.77
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="left" | Total
! colspan="2" | 2,711,445
! colspan="2" | 3,128,236
! colspan="2" | 3,391,490
! colspan="2" | 3,674,802
! colspan="2" | 3,483,972
! colspan="2" | 3,043,429
! colspan="2" | 2,810,761
|-
| colspan="15" | <small><sup>1</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316172652/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_59.php |date=2010-03-16 }}. <sup>2</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_70.php] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203151519/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_70.php |date=2009-12-03 }}. <sup>3</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_79.php] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324145212/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_79.php |date=2010-03-24 }}. <sup>4</sup> Source: [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316172713/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php |date=2010-03-16 }}. <sup>5</sup> Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131014172519/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/default.asp?w=1920]. <sup>6</sup> Source: [https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=eb0fae4e-f7de-43b0-a727-f61ac012beee#/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216002425/http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/lit/lit_01.htm#/ |date=2008-02-16 }}.</small>
|}

Poles are concentrated in the [[Vilnius Region]], the area controlled by Poland in the interwar period. There are especially large [[Poles in Lithuania|Polish communities]] in [[Vilnius district municipality]] (47% of the population) and [[Šalčininkai district municipality]] (76%). The [[Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania]], an ethnic minority political party, has strong influence in these areas and has representation in the [[Seimas]]. The party is most active in local politics and controls several municipal councils.

Russians, even though they are almost as numerous as Poles, are much more evenly scattered and lack strong political cohesion. The most prominent community lives in [[Visaginas]] (47%). Most of them are engineers who moved with their families from the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]] to work at the [[Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant]]. A number of ethnic Russians (mostly military) left Lithuania after the declaration of independence in 1990.

Another major change in the ethnic composition of Lithuania was the extermination of the [[Jew]]ish population during [[the Holocaust]]. Before [[World War II]] about 7.5% of the population was Jewish; they were concentrated in cities and towns and had a significant influence on crafts and business. They were called [[Lithuanian Jews|Litvaks]] and had a strong culture. The population of Vilnius, sometimes nicknamed Northern [[Jerusalem]], was about 30% Jewish. Almost all of these Jews were killed during the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] occupation, or later emigrated to the [[United States]] and [[Israel]]. Now there are only about 4,000 Jews living in Lithuania.