Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Lithuania

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	Homelessness is defined as “a person who does not own an accommodation or building or does not have any other right to use such an accommodation or building and resides in temporary accommodation or public places.”
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	4 945 individuals, representing 0.17% of the total population (2024)
	39% are women, 61% are men
	Flow count, based on the Annual Survey of Social Services
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Not included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	According to the Law on Social Services, data on the number of people staying in shelters for people experiencing homelessness must be collected.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	There is no national homelessness strategy in Lithuania.
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Annual Survey of Social Services: Shelters for the homeless, crisis centres and shelters for temporary living for mothers and children provide the number of clients to Statistics Lithuania (Table 6.1) Population and Housing Census: Data on people experiencing homelessness in the Population and Housing Census are produced using administrative data sources (Table 6.2).

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

	Statistical definition
Homelessness	A homeless person is defined as “a person who does not own an accommodation or building or does not have any other right to use such an accommodation or building and resides in temporary accommodation or public places.

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2018	4 806	0.17%	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
2022	4 317	0.15%	Not included	2 636	1 681	Not included	Not included	Not included
2024	4 945	0.17%	Not included	2 604	2 341	Not included	Not included	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Data are comparable across years: Yes Included in headline estimate: Children: Yes Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); Statistics Lithuania (2023), Annual survey of social services https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=9ce94988-a79d-49fa-b44a-cda283e481f5.

https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=624bef95-cfa6-4d22-9b21-0be3f10ed32a.

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2024

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged 15‑29)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	NA	3 035	1 910	NA	NA	NA
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	NA	61.4%	38.6%	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	NA	1 127	1 477	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	NA	1 908	433	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Included in headline estimate: Children: Yes Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: No Refugees: No Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=5cceb9b2-faa8-421d-aa4c-425895f3853c and https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=7aea6452-74b3-4b4c-99da-7a72f67b2f2f.

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	Law on Social Services
Legal obligations	Data on the number of persons staying in shelters for people experiencing homelessness must be collected.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	None.
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	No.

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Annual Survey of Social Services
Description Shelters for the homeless, crisis centres and shelters for temporary living for mothers and children provide the number of users of their services to Statistics Lithuania every year.
Type of count generated Flow (period)	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Statistics Lithuania	Source(s) of information Homelessness institutions report information to Statistics Lithuania
Scope Coverage based on availability of services	Depth of data Simple enumeration
Frequency Annual
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Database of indicators - Official Statistics Portal
6.2. Population and Housing Census
Description In the Population and Housing Census, data on homeless persons are produced using administrative data sources. Homeless persons are defined as individuals who sleep in a homeless shelter. Statistics Lithuania uses lists of people who repeatedly stay in shelters for homeless to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Population census
Lead authority(ies) Statistics Lithuania	Source(s) of information Administrative data sources
Scope National level	Depth of data Key demographic characteristics
Frequency Every 10 years
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources Population and Housing Census – Official Statistics Portal Gyventojų ir būstų surašymai - Oficialiosios statistikos portalas

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1.Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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