Dwellings and their characteristics

Statistics Lithuania informs that, on the basis of data of the 2011 Population and Housing Census of the Republic of Lithuania, on 1 March 2011, 1 million 389 thousand dwellings were recorded in Lithuania; over the decade in between the censuses, the number of dwellings grew by 7.4 per cent.

According to the census data, the number of conventional dwellings (one- or two-apartment houses, dwellings in the blocks of apartments or non-residential buildings) totalled 1 million 374 thousand, or 98.9 per cent of the total number of dwellings (in 2011, 1 million 275 thousand, or 98.6 per cent), the number of collective living quarters  (hostels, motels) – 14.6 thousand, or 1.1 per cent (in 2001, 17.4 thousand, or 1.4 per cent). Unconventional dwellings (temporary lodging not intended for all year-round use: garden houses, cabins, etc.) totalled 257, or 0.02 per cent of the total number of dwellings (in 2001, 554, or 0.04 per cent). The largest share of conventional dwellings consisted of apartments (59.8 per cent); every third dwelling was a single-apartment house (36.2 per cent). 56.9 per cent of population were living in apartments, 38.4 per cent – single-apartment houses.

13.4 per cent of dwellings were built before 1945. More than two thirds of all dwellings (71.5 per cent) were built in 1946–1990. In 1991–2000, 7 per cent of all dwellings were built: in urban areas – 8.1, in rural areas – 4.8 per cent. Dwellings built in the period from 2001 to 1 March 2011 accounted for 6.2 per cent of all dwellings, in urban areas – 6.7, in rural areas – 5.2 per cent. Dwellings whose year of construction was not indicated accounted for 1.9 per cent.

In 2011, 1 million 169 thousand (85.1 per cent) dwellings were used for permanent residence, 46.8 thousand (3.4 per cent) were used as secondary dwellings or inhabited seasonally, 151.5 thousand (11 per cent) were vacant. There were 7 thousand (0.5 per cent) dwellings whose residential purpose was not indicated.

In Lithuania, most dwellings had two (33 per cent) or three (27.3 per cent) rooms, with 63.2 per cent of population living in them. The average useful floor area of a dwelling amounted to 63.1 m² (in 2001, 59.6 m²). The average useful floor area per capita amounted to 26.2 m² (in 2001, 22.6 m²).

During the census, respondents were asked if there was hot water, bathroom, shower, flush toilet, water supply and sewerage facilities, kitchen in the dwelling. According to the census data, hot water was available in 74.8 per cent of dwellings, bathroom, shower – 76.2 per cent, flush toilet – 76 per cent, water supply – 87.9 per cent, sewerage – 84.7 per cent. The most noticeable increase was observed in the relative share of dwellings with water supply and sewerage (more than 10 percentage points). In 974.7 thousand dwellings (70.9 per cent of all dwellings), all communal facilities were available; 2 million 264 thousand residents were living in such dwellings (75.6 per cent of the total population living in dwellings).

In 723.1 thousand (52.6 per cent) of dwellings, central heating systems were equipped, 332.4 thousand (24.2 per cent) – local central heating, 292.9 thousand (21.3 per cent) – furnace, fireplace, or another type of heating facilities. 1.9 thousand dwellings (0.1 per cent) were not heated, 24 thousand (1.8 per cent) did not indicate the type of heating.

More detailed information on dwellings by county and municipality is released on the Official Statistics Portal, chapter Population and Housing Census.