Lithuania
Lithuania is a democracy in which political rights and civil liberties are generally respected. Chronic problems including corruption and socioeconomic inequality often arouse public dissatisfaction. Women, LGBT+ people, members of the Romany minority, and some other groups experience varying degrees of discrimination and underrepresentation in politics.
Research & Recommendations
Lithuania
| PR Political Rights | 38 40 |
| CL Civil Liberties | 52 60 |
Democratic resilience will increasingly depend on stronger coordination among countries that share a commitment to freedom, the rule of law, and accountable governance.
International support for democratic institutions, civil society, and independent media has been associated with modest but meaningful improvements in democratic governance, and it is far less costly than the military outlays necessitated by rising authoritarian aggression.
Young people are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy—not because they reject its principles, but because they see institutions failing to deliver on them. Programmatic work should create clear pathways for meaningful political participation, from voting and policy engagement to community organizing and public leadership, so that young people can translate their expectations into agency.
Lithuania
| DEMOCRACY-PERCENTAGE Democracy Percentage | 78.57 100 |
| DEMOCRACY-SCORE Democracy Score | 5.71 7 |
Executive Summary
In 2023, Lithuania faced a number of crises that challenged democratic governance. Social and political cohesion gradually diminished in 2023 and the center-right government led by the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faced renewed criticism over its decision-making and stalled reforms. However, the Ukraine war has mobilized the public and spurred a “rally-around-the-flag” effect. The NATO summit held in Vilnius in July also united Lithuanians and engendered pride as Lithuania espoused democratic values and supported Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations.
The future of European democracy and security is now inextricably linked to the fate of Ukraine. European Union (EU) and NATO member states must not only invest far more—and more efficiently—in their collective defense, but also provide Ukraine with the assistance it needs to roll back Russian advances and build a durable democracy of its own.
In addition to defending the international order from emboldened autocrats, democratic governments must attend to democratic renewal within Europe, particularly among nascent democracies.
Military aggression from autocracies in the region has underscored the dangers of exclusion from democracy-based organizations like the EU and NATO, galvanizing the political will of policymakers in aspiring member states and generating further public pressure to undertake long-sought democratic reforms.