Lithuania Born Community of Australia

Lithuanians came in large numbers to Australia in the late 1940s and early 1950s as part of the wave of refugees from the Soviet-occupied Baltic states.

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 3,710 Lithuania-born persons in Australia, a decrease of 12 per cent from the 1996 Census. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 1,250 followed by New South Wales (1,160), South Australia (560) and Queensland (300).

The median age of the Lithuania-born in 2001 was 72.3 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 1.1 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 2.3 per cent were 15-24 years, 5.6 per cent were 25-44 years, 24.6 per cent were 45-64 years and 66.3 per cent were 65 and over. Of the Lithuania-born in Australia, there were 1,800 males (48.6 per cent) and 1,910 females (51.4 per cent). The sex ratio was 94.4 males per 100 females.