Development Co‑operation Profiles: Lithuania
Table of contents
As an official provider of development co-operation since 2004 and a Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member since 2022, Lithuania’s co-operation focuses on sharing its transition experience and accumulated knowledge in democratic reforms, notably in countries of the European Union’s (EU) Eastern Partnership. Most of Lithuania’s official development assistance (ODA) is channelled through the European Union. Lithuania’s total ODA (USD 192.3 million, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.21% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on Lithuania’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The Law on Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid provides the overarching framework for Lithuania’s development co-operation. The Strategic Guidelines for Development Co-operation 2026‑2028 shift from geographical to sectoral priorities of strengthening democratic, social, digital, environmental and economic resilience. Lithuania focuses on EU Eastern Partnership countries, with a major priority for Ukraine. Digitalisation is a main priority of its co-operation with African countries.
Most of Lithuania’s ODA is delivered multilaterally and the European Union is a key partner for channelling Lithuanian ODA. Lithuania is also very active in sharing its public sector expertise through the EU Twinning programme as well as delegated co-operation with the European Union.
Lithuania provided USD 192.3 million (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 177.8 million in constant terms), representing 0.21% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 9.7% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. While Lithuania’s ODA volume has consistently increased since 2017, the growth rate peaked in 2022 and has since declined, mostly due to an increase in bilateral grants to Ukraine and in-donor refugee costs. Lithuania is not in line with its domestic (0.33% by 2030) and international/EU commitments to achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Total ODA on a grant-equivalent basis has the same value as net ODA under the cash-flow methodology used in the past, as Lithuania provides only grants.
In 2025, Lithuania ranked 30th among DAC members in terms of ODA volume and 21st when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. In line with its policy, Lithuania stands out for allocating a high share of its bilateral ODA to Europe. Ukraine was the top recipient, receiving 47.6% of Lithuania’s gross bilateral ODA in 2024. Lithuania maintains a strong focus on humanitarian assistance, which accounts for 28.6% of gross bilateral ODA commitments.
Lithuania is committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Lithuania provided roughly equal multilateral and bilateral ODA in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 49.9% of total ODA disbursements, while 29.9% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, Lithuania provided USD 128 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, an increase of 1.2% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 98.7 million was core multilateral ODA (50.1% of total ODA), while USD 29.3 million was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds) accounted for all of Lithuania’s non-core contributions. The European institutions (USD 109.1 million) are by far Lithuania’s main multilateral partner.
The United Nations (UN) system received 3.6% of Lithuania’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 1.1 million (23%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 4.6 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Lithuania’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the UN Secretariat (USD 1.4 million), the World Health Organization (USD 0.4 million) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (USD 300 000).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the DAC members’ use of the multilateral system dashboard.
In 2024, Lithuania’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 98.2 million of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 23.7% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 22.5 million, or 22.9% of Lithuania’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 46.5%.
Lithuania’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 13.8 million (14.1% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 28 million, or 28.6% of gross bilateral ODA.
In 2024, Lithuania channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through public sector and multilateral organisations. Technical co-operation made up 10.3% of gross ODA in 2024.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 1.2 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 32.7% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 0.1% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 1.1% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the provider (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs decreased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 1.9% to 1.2%.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and by exploring the ODA to civil society organisations dashboard.
In 2024, Lithuania’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on ODA-eligible countries in Europe. USD 52.1 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 96.4% for Ukraine) and USD 2.6 million to Asia (excluding the Middle East), accounting respectively for 53.1% and 2.6% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 600 thousand was allocated to countries in Africa. Countries in Europe were also the main regional recipient of Lithuania’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, which was in line with its policy priorities.
In 2024, 55.7% of gross bilateral ODA went to Lithuania’s top 10 recipients. Among its top 10 recipients, Ukraine dominated allocations. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 43.5%, of which 32.3% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, Lithuania allocated 0.01% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Lithuania allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (52%) to lower middle-income countries in 2024, noting that 43.5% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received only 0.1% of Lithuania’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 0.1 million). Additionally, Lithuania allocated 1.7% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 1.7 million.
The distribution of Lithuania’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 0.2 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 0.1 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2025, Lithuania provided USD 67.7 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, a 24.6% increase from 2024 in real terms. USD 30.4 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, a 3.3% increase in real terms from 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 0.9 million in 2024, representing 0.9% of Lithuania’s gross bilateral ODA. Of this ODA, 38.3% was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 20.1% in 2023, while 0% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 0% in 2023. Conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, represented 0% of gross bilateral ODA, decreasing from 0% in 2023.
Learn more about the States of Fragility platform.
In 2024, the largest focus of Lithuania’s bilateral ODA was social infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 37.1% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 36.3 million), with a strong focus on support to government and civil society (USD 23.5 million), education (USD 7 million) and health and population (USD 5.6 million). ODA for other macro sectors totalled USD 30.3 million, with a focus on refugees in donor countries (USD 13.8 million). Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 28 million (28.6% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on social sectors and other macro sectors in 2024.
In the period 2023-2024, Lithuania committed 4.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment compared to 16.9% in 2021-2022 and a DAC average of 48.2% in 2023-2024. This is equal to USD 2.2 million of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 0.6% in 2023-2024, compared with the DAC average of 4.2%.
Lithuania includes gender equality objectives in 4.4% of ODA for humanitarian aid, below the 2023‑2024 DAC average of 21.5%.
Lithuania screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA against the DAC gender equality policy marker (66% in 2023-2024).
Lithuania committed USD 100 thousand of ODA to end violence against women and girls on average per year in 2023-2024.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the development finance for gender equality dashboard.
In 2023-2024, Lithuania committed 12% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 9.6 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, down from 26.9% in 2021-2022. The DAC average was 39%. In addition:
5.4% of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 11.2%.
8.5% of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 6.8 million) focused on climate change overall (the DAC average was 35.4%), up from 4.5% in 2021-2022. Lithuania had a greater focus on mitigation (14.4%) than on adaptation (9.2%) in 2023-2024.
0.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 100 thousand) focused on biodiversity overall (the DAC average was 8.6%), up from 0.1% in 2021-2022.
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
In 2024, Lithuania:
Allocated 0.2% of its bilateral ODA (USD 0.2 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (such as basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 0.2% of bilateral ODA (USD 0.2 million) went to social protection support. Learn more by exploring the Reducing poverty and inequalities through ODA data explainer.
Committed USD 4.3 million (5.3% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition in developing countries across a variety of sectors, such as reconstruction relief and rehabilitation, emergency response, and unallocated/unspecified.
Committed USD 28.8 million (35.5% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Committed USD 0 million (0% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries. Regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services, Lithuania rarely seeks exemptions. It does not have a general policy nor does it make information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 2.4 million (2.9% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
In 2024, total official and private flows from Lithuania to developing countries amounted to USD 222.6 million in net terms. Official sources accounted for USD 196.9 million, while USD 25.7 million originated from private sources.
Lithuania uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2024, Lithuania’s Ministry of Environment mobilised USD 1.6 million from the private sector through simple co‑financing. This constituted a 31.3% decrease compared to 2023.
Private finance mobilised by Lithuania in 2023-2024 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 100% of its total mobilised.
Mobilised private finance by Lithuania in 2023-2024 related mainly to activities in energy (100%) as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 94% of Lithuania’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
Learn more by exploring the Mobilisation of private finance for development dashboard.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by Lithuania as TOSSD totalled USD 208.8 million, marking a 21% decrease compared with the previous year.3 Lithuania’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG 3 (good health and well-being).
Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversees Lithuania’s development co-operation efforts. The National Development Cooperation Commission, chaired by the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, co-ordinates policies across ministries, public institutions and private sector organisations. The Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) serves as the main implementing agency for bilateral projects and carries out projects on behalf of the European Union. The Ministry of Environment and its Environmental Projects Management Agency also manage climate change projects. The Fund for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, established in 2022, facilitates funding from various sources (public, private, international). The CPMA serves as the fund’s administrator and secretariat.
Around 50 staff members work on development co-operation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Government and the CPMA. In addition, around 50 staff members working in diplomatic missions, line ministries and other state institutions work part-time (10-50%) on development co-operation issues.
Lithuania organises an annual conference with experts, representatives of international institutions, civil society, business and other relevant stakeholders to share experiences and discuss proposals on how to achieve more advanced, transparent and innovative policy solutions for development co-operation. CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate under the Lithuanian NGDO Platform.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development placed a renewed emphasis on strengthening the effectiveness of all forms of development co-operation by upholding and elevating the Effectiveness Principles. Adherence to these principles is measured through the partner country-led monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation.
Lithuania participated in the 2023-2026 monitoring round through its reporting to one partner county, the Republic of Moldova. Its results can be found here.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the delivery of Lithuania’s development co-operation. The table below highlights select features.
Access the full list of development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
CSO umbrella organisation “National Non-Governmental Development Cooperation Organisations’ Platform”: https://www.vbplatforma.org/EN.
Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPMA): https://www.cpva.lt/en.
Lithuania Development Cooperation: https://ltaid.urm.lt/en.
Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://www.urm.lt/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/development-cooperation-and-democracy-promotion/1218.
Lithuania has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 2022.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
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The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 3. This amount does not include mobilised private finance by Lithuania.