2025 country profile

How democratic is
Lithuania?

Lithuania scores 81.7 out of 100 and ranks 22 of 179 in our independent 2025 democracy measure. Its lowest-scoring test is public participation. Explore the evidence and history below.

Democracys.org beta estimate, derived from V-Dem v16. A measure of political institutions and conditions—not a percentage of democracy or a judgment of people.

Printable country brief Compare this country

DEMOCRACYS SCORE

81.7out of 100Closer to the standard

2025 rank22 of 179

10-year change−4.1

25-year change−2.5

Source-bound range77.3–87.1

Weakest areaParticipation

The source-bound range is an uncertainty guide, not a confidence interval for this combined score. How to read the range →

SCORE HISTORY

Lithuania, 1990–2025

The shaded area is a plain-language uncertainty guide. Treat small score differences cautiously.

About uncertainty

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

What changed on the ground?

A documented development to help interpret the institutions behind the score.

2025 context · Freedom House assessment

Judicial transparency and independence showed improvement

Freedom House points to more transparent judicial appointments and rulings in a high-profile corruption case as evidence of court independence. That is a recent positive development even if a longer Democracys trend moves downward. Different periods and different measures can tell different stories without either one being a complete explanation.

Read the country report · Freedom in the World 2026

AI-assisted source summary · not independently expert-reviewed

What this context does—and does not—explain

This is a selected development, not a complete political history. Its date may differ from the selected comparison period. It is not evidence that one event caused a particular number of points, and it may describe progress even when this index declines.

The scores use V-Dem. The narrative summarizes a separate assessment by Freedom House, whose definitions and coverage differ. Neither organization endorses this website. The summary is AI-assisted, source-linked, and has not received independent country-expert review. Source checked October 5, 2026.

Why democracy measures can disagree →

UNDERSTAND THE CHANGE

What drove the score?

2015–2025 · the measured story

The score for Lithuania fell 4.1 points, from 85.8 to 81.7 between 2015 and 2025. All five areas declined. Participation contributed the largest downward push in the score calculation.

Read the political context ↓

Largest influence on the calculation

Participation

The evidence rates opportunities to participate through civic organizations, direct democracy, and local or regional institutions less favorably.

Area score: 72.4 → 66.8
Approx. contribution to overall change: −1.2 points

Another important influence

Elections

The evidence rates electoral choice, voting rights, political organization, and the space for open debate less favorably.

Area score: 83.6 → 78.6
Approx. contribution to overall change: −1.0 points

These contributions explain the calculation—not the causes. The five area scores combine several indicators; they do not identify which individual law, election, or event changed.

When did the biggest shifts appear?

The largest year-to-year movements within this period. These are changes in annual estimates, not precise dates of political events.

2015–2016−1.8 points
The overall score fell from 85.8 to 84.0. Public reasoning supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2017–2018−1.7 points
The overall score fell from 82.6 to 80.9. Public reasoning supplied the largest downward contribution to that year’s calculated change.
2018–2019+2.3 points
The overall score rose from 80.9 to 83.2. Public reasoning supplied the largest upward contribution to that year’s calculated change.

Highest published score in this window: 85.8 in 2015. Small differences may fall within the source’s uncertainty.

See all five areas and how contributions are calculated

Changes in inputs versus contributions to the overall score
Area	2015	2025	Input change	Approx. contribution
Participation	72.4	66.8	−5.6	−1.2
Elections	83.6	78.6	−5.0	−1.0
Public reasoning	89.0	84.2	−4.8	−0.9
Rights and checks	94.9	92.3	−2.6	−0.5
Political equality	90.0	87.8	−2.2	−0.4

We change the five inputs from their starting to ending values in every possible order, then average each area’s effect on the formula. This distributes the formula’s interactions (a Shapley allocation). It is a mathematical attribution, not a causal estimate.

Inputs and published scores are rounded, so contributions are approximate and may not add exactly to the displayed total. No significance test is implied. Read the full scoring method →

BENEATH THE SCORE

Five dimensions of democracy

The headline score cannot show where a political system is strong or constrained. These five tests can. Each has equal weight in the beta standard.

Free and fair elections

Can people choose their leaders through broad voting rights, honest elections, free political groups, and open public debate?

78.6

Rights and checks on power

Are basic freedoms protected, laws applied fairly, courts independent, and leaders prevented from abusing power?

92.3

Public participation

Can people shape public life through civic groups, direct voting, and meaningful local and regional government?

66.8

Public reasoning

Do leaders explain decisions, consult the public, answer opposing arguments, and consider the common good?

84.2

Political equality

Do different social groups have equal rights, access, resources, and a real chance to influence political power?

87.8

HOW TO READ THIS PROFILE

Two kinds of evidence.
One clearer picture.

The score breakdown identifies which parts of the measure changed most. The country report adds documented political context. Together they help explain the institutions at stake—but they do not prove that a specific event produced a specific number of points.

Why this score differs from other democracy indices →

What a declining score can—and cannot—tell us about democratic backsliding

A recent improvement can coexist with a long-term decline. Always compare the dates, check the linked source, and consider developments the selected narrative does not cover.

ANNUAL DATA

Lithuania score table

Download Lithuania CSV

Year	Score	Source-bound range	Elections	Rights & checks	Participation	Reasoning	Equality
2025	81.7	77.3–87.1	78.6	92.3	66.8	84.2	87.8
2024	81.5	77.1–87.3	79.8	93.5	67.8	80.4	87.4
2023	82.1	77.7–87.7	78.5	94.1	69.0	82.6	87.4
2022	82.4	78.0–87.9	79.3	94.5	70.2	81.9	86.9
2021	82.6	78.3–88.2	79.3	94.3	71.0	81.9	87.3
2020	83.4	79.4–88.9	80.2	94.9	72.7	82.7	87.3
2019	83.2	78.7–88.7	81.7	94.2	74.0	79.9	86.9
2018	80.9	76.1–87.0	81.8	93.9	72.0	71.6	86.3
2017	82.6	77.8–88.0	80.8	95.3	72.2	78.2	87.5
2016	84.0	80.0–89.4	82.5	95.5	72.0	80.8	90.1
2015	85.8	82.1–90.8	83.6	94.9	72.4	89.0	90.0
2014	85.7	82.0–90.6	82.9	94.9	72.2	89.0	90.3
2013	83.9	80.2–89.1	82.6	94.9	66.4	86.9	90.3
2012	83.9	80.0–89.2	83.9	94.9	66.1	86.9	89.2
2011	84.5	80.6–89.7	84.7	94.9	66.5	86.9	90.9
2010	84.5	80.7–89.8	85.0	94.9	66.8	86.6	90.9
2009	84.4	80.7–89.9	84.6	94.6	66.7	86.2	91.3
2008	85.2	81.8–90.2	82.4	94.6	67.0	92.4	91.5
2007	84.7	81.4–89.8	82.2	94.5	64.8	92.4	91.5
2006	84.6	81.2–89.7	82.2	94.3	65.8	90.7	91.5
2005	84.3	80.3–89.4	82.2	94.4	67.3	87.8	91.5
2004	84.5	80.7–89.7	81.9	94.4	68.3	88.0	91.5
2003	84.6	80.6–89.9	81.4	94.1	69.3	88.0	91.3
2002	84.4	80.5–89.8	81.6	94.5	68.2	88.0	91.0
2001	84.4	80.7–90.0	81.6	94.5	68.8	87.5	91.0
2000	84.2	79.9–89.7	82.2	93.9	70.1	86.3	89.3
1999	83.5	79.1–89.4	82.7	93.0	68.1	85.7	89.3
1998	83.6	79.1–89.5	82.4	92.8	68.8	85.7	89.3
1997	83.6	79.0–89.4	82.7	92.8	69.5	85.2	88.6
1996	83.2	78.6–89.2	82.4	92.7	70.2	85.2	86.6
1995	82.9	78.3–89.1	82.8	92.7	70.2	83.2	86.6
1994	82.8	78.3–89.0	82.8	92.7	70.2	82.6	86.6
1993	82.5	78.0–88.6	81.1	92.8	70.3	82.6	86.6
1992	82.8	78.5–89.3	79.9	92.8	71.3	84.5	86.4
1991	79.1	74.1–85.3	79.1	91.6	55.9	84.5	87.4
1990	77.8	73.0–83.8	79.7	87.9	52.5	85.7	86.7
1939	27.3	21.4–32.1	12.0	46.8	26.2	10.8	55.3
1938	27.3	21.3–32.1	11.6	47.4	26.2	10.8	55.3
1937	27.2	21.3–32.0	11.6	46.8	26.2	10.8	55.3
1936	28.4	22.4–33.6	14.1	46.6	26.3	12.0	55.5
1935	28.8	22.6–33.8	14.0	46.5	27.8	12.8	55.3
1934	28.9	22.7–34.0	14.1	46.8	27.8	12.8	55.3
1933	28.9	22.9–34.1	14.1	46.8	28.3	12.8	54.8
1932	28.9	22.9–34.1	14.1	46.8	28.3	12.8	54.8
1931	28.9	22.9–34.1	14.1	46.8	28.3	12.8	54.8
1930	28.9	22.8–34.0	14.1	46.8	28.3	12.8	54.3
1929	28.7	22.4–33.7	14.1	45.7	28.3	12.8	54.3
1928	28.6	22.5–33.7	14.1	45.3	28.3	12.8	54.3
1927	33.2	27.0–39.0	14.3	45.8	30.3	29.5	54.3
1926	56.0	47.7–63.8	52.7	72.1	41.4	56.4	59.6
1925	57.6	49.8–66.1	57.4	73.4	42.7	57.4	59.3
1924	57.5	50.0–66.2	57.4	73.4	42.7	57.4	58.9
1923	57.9	50.3–66.5	58.3	74.8	42.1	57.4	59.4
1922	57.8	50.0–66.4	58.2	74.1	42.1	57.4	59.4
1921	57.2	49.6–65.9	57.5	74.1	40.4	57.4	59.3
1920	53.7	46.2–61.4	47.3	65.0	40.8	57.4	59.7
1919	40.8	34.2–47.2	16.3	47.3	35.4	56.6	57.6
1918	38.4	32.5–45.6	15.5	40.7	33.3	56.6	55.2

CITE THIS PROFILE

Source and attribution

Democracys.org (2026), “Lithuania Democracy Score, 1918–2025,” Democracys Standard v1.0 beta; derived from Coppedge et al. (2026), V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16.

Open source DOI

NEARBY IN THE 2025 RANKING

#20Austria81.9 #21Czechia81.7 #23Latvia81.4 #24Italy81.0

All rankings

How democratic isLithuania?