Global True Lithuania Encyclopedia of Lithuanian heritage worldwide

Differences between Lithuanians and neighboring nations

Lithuanians are a small nation of 3-5 million. Many foreigners do not know it or mistakenly identify Lithuanians as belonging to some other ethnicity. This short table gives a better idea on how Lithuanians differ from neighboring nations.

Bold entries indicate similarity, while non-bold entries indicate differences.

Ethnicity Language Religion Recent history (pre-1990) Modern alignment Team sport
Lithuanians Lithuanian (Baltic) Roman Catholic Occupied by USSR (1940) NATO, EU Basketball
Russians Russian (East Slavic) Russian Orthodox Dominant nation of the USSR Eurasian Union Football / Ice hockey
Poles Polish (West Slavic) Roman Catholic Dominated by USSR NATO, EU Football
Latvians Latvian (Baltic) Lutheran / Roman Catholic Occupied by USSR (1940) NATO, EU Ice hockey
Estonians Estonian (Finno-Ugric) Lutheran Occupied by USSR (1940) NATO, EU Basketball
Belarusians Russian / Belarusian (East Slavic) Russian Orthodox Occupied by USSR (1919, 1939) Eurasian Union Ice hockey
Ukrainians Ukrainian (East Slavic) Ukrainian Orthodox Occupied by USSR (1921, 1939) Seeks to join NATO, EU Football
Finns Finnish (Finno-Ugric) Lutheran Attacked by USSR (1939) Neutral, EU Ice hockey
Swedes Swedish (Germanic) Lutheran No wars against USSR Neutral, EU Ice hockey
Moldavians Romanian (Romance) Romanian Orthodox Occupied by USSR (1940) Shifting Football
Germans German (Germanic) Lutheran / Roman Catholic Partitioned by USSR NATO, EU Football
Danes Danish (Germanic) Lutheran No wars against USSR (allied during WW2) NATO, EU Football