Editing Demographics of Lithuania (section)

==Languages==
{| align="right"
|-
| {{bar box
|title=Native languages in Lithuania, 2021 census.<ref name="Su22">{{cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/gyventoju-ir-bustu-surasymai1|title=Population by command of languages in municipality|access-date=23 September 2022|archive-date=5 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305052046/https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/gyventoju-ir-bustu-surasymai1|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=250px
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]|#006A44|85.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Russian language|Russian]]|Blue|6.79}}
{{bar percent|[[Polish language|Polish]]|#DC143C|5.12}}
{{bar percent|[[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]|Purple|0.24}}
{{bar percent|[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]|#FFD500|0.17}}
{{bar percent|Other|Black|0.61}}
{{bar percent|Two languages|#FF44FF|1.75}}
}}
|-
| {{bar box
|title=Knowledge of foreign languages in Lithuania, 2021 census.<ref name="Su22" />
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=250px
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Russian language|Russian]]|Blue|60.6}}
{{bar percent|[[English language|English]]|Pink|31.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]|#006A44|10.5}}
{{bar percent|[[German language|German]]|#FFF44F|8.0}}
{{bar percent|[[Polish language|Polish]]|#DC143C|7.9}}
{{bar percent|[[French language|French]]|Orange|1.9}}
}}
|}
The [[Lithuanian language]] is the country's sole official language countrywide. It is the first language of over 85% of population and is also spoken by 295,244 out of 432,643 non-Lithuanians.<ref name="Su22"/> Ethnic minorities, such as the Polish population that mostly speaks Polish; Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians who immigrated after World War II and converse in Russian, generally use their associated languages as their main language.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vitold Jancis |title=What is happening to the Russian language in Lithuania |url=https://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82-%D1%81-%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC-%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B2-%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5/a-39140883 |access-date=2017-06-07 |publisher=dw.com |archive-date=2017-06-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607130951/http://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%87%D1%82%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82-%D1%81-%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC-%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B2-%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5/a-39140883 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nearly every citizen of Lithuania is considered to be at least [[bilingual]], with the older generations being able to speak Russian as a second language, as the Soviet era had imposed the official use of Russian, while the independence generations usually speak English as their second language.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Employees fluent in three languages – it's the norm in Lithuania|url=https://investlithuania.com/news/employees-fluent-in-three-languages-its-the-norm-in-lithuania/|access-date=21 February 2021|website=Invest Lithuania|archive-date=19 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019201722/https://investlithuania.com/news/employees-fluent-in-three-languages-its-the-norm-in-lithuania/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the census of 2021, 31% of the population can speak English, 67.4% – Russian.<ref name="Su22"/> The average Lithuanian knows 2.7 languages with a substantial portion of the total population (37%) speaking at least two foreign languages.<ref>{{cite web | title=Lithuanians among top bilingual nations in Europe | website=Study in Lithuania | date=16 October 2014 | url=https://studyin.lt/2014/10/16/lithuaniansamongtopbilingualnationsineurope/ | access-date=16 December 2023 | archive-date=17 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217063333/https://studyin.lt/2014/10/16/lithuaniansamongtopbilingualnationsineurope/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Approximately 14,800 pupils started their 2012 school year in schools where the curriculum is conducted in Russian (down from 76,000 in 1991), and about 12,300 enrolled in Polish schools (compared to 11,400 in 1991 and 21,700 in 2001). There are also schools in the [[Belarusian language]], as well as in [[English language|English]], [[German language|German]], and [[French language|French]].<ref>[http://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?id=1243&status=A General school pupils] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012201306/https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?id=1243&status=A |date=2023-10-12 }}, Statistics Lithuania</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.pasch-net.de/de/par/spo/eur/lit/3336966.html| title = Initiative "Schulen: Partner der Zukunft" – Hermann-Sudermann-Gymnasium Klaipėda| access-date = 2019-03-04| archive-date = 2019-03-06| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043125/https://www.pasch-net.de/de/par/spo/eur/lit/3336966.html| url-status = live}}</ref>

There are perhaps 50 speakers of [[Karaim language|Karaim]], a [[Turkic language]] spoken by [[Karaite Jews]], in Lithuania.<ref>UNESCO, [http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/cultural-diversity/languages-and-multilingualism/endangered-languages/audio-visual-resources/ Audio-visual resources] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228174515/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/cultural-diversity/languages-and-multilingualism/endangered-languages/audio-visual-resources/ |date=2011-12-28 }}. Retrieved 2011-09-12.</ref>

[[Lithuanian Sign Language]] and [[Russian Sign Language]] are used by the deaf community.

[[Baltic Romani]] is spoken by the Lithuanian Roma (Gypsy) minority.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://romani.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/virtuallibrary/librarydb/web/files/pdfs/375/Paper20.pdf|title=Roma and Romani in Lithuania in the 21st century|access-date=2022-10-26|archive-date=2022-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930104538/http://romani.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/virtuallibrary/librarydb/web/files/pdfs/375/Paper20.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>