Title Depopulation tendencies and territorial development in Lithuania /
Authors Daugirdas, Vidmantas ; Pociūtė - Sereikienė, Gintarė
DOI 10.15196/RS080203
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Is Part of Regional Statistics.. Budapeštas : Hungarian Central Statistical Office. 2018, 8, 2, p. 1-23.. ISSN 2063-9538. eISSN 2064-8243
Keywords [eng] depopulation ; socioeconomic decline ; sparsely populated territories ; peripheralisation ; Lithuania
Abstract [eng] The depopulation process in Lithuania is rapid, and the gap between the centre and periphery in the country is increasing, which allows one region to grow and others to ‘fight’ for survival. The main demographic indicators are particularly bad in sparsely populated territories (SPTs) and deviate markedly from the country-wide average. To confirm these statements, this study presents the changes in the demographic and socioeconomic situation in Lithuania during the period of restored independence. We place special emphasis on rural SPTs of the country, and use statistical data as the main instrument to present the tendencies of socio-spatial development. The analysis shows that Lithuania is experiencing territorial polarisation, with the greatest gap being between the major cities and the regions in Southern and North-Eastern Lithuania. Additionally, the results indicate that in the meantime, the Western and Central regions became the ‘generators’ of demographic and socioeconomic problems due to increasing depopulation. The sharpest result of depopulation is the decline of social networks and, simultaneously, an increase in social problems. This situation increases residents’ social and territorial exclusion, meaning that institutions are receding from the residents who remain in rural peripheral regions, leaving them to fight the consequences of peripheralisation alone without any clear regional policy strategies.
Published Budapeštas : Hungarian Central Statistical Office
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2018