Lithuanian Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Lithuania is the southernmost of the three Baltic states, on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, with Vilnius as its capital. Lithuanian is one of the oldest living Indo-European languages. Lithuanians in Birmingham include workers, families, students and professionals.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 943 Birmingham residents described their ethnic group as Lithuanian; 1,478 people living in the city had been born in Lithuania; and 891 residents gave Lithuanian as their main language. Main language figures leave out the many bilingual residents who use English day to day, so the number who speak the language at home is higher still.

Working for Birmingham

Lithuanian residents work in logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, construction, food production and care, and many run their own businesses. Lithuanian professionals work in IT, finance and healthcare, and Lithuanian shops sell bread, cheese and sausages from home.

Every community that has settled in Birmingham has helped to shape it. Newcomers have filled gaps in the workforce, opened shops and restaurants, and raised children who have gone on to become the city's doctors, teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs. The Lithuanian community is part of that tradition of hard work and ambition, and of the city's own motto: Forward.

Culture and community life

Basketball is Lithuania's national passion, and the national team is followed with pride. Cepelinai, potato dumplings, and cold pink beetroot soup are favourites, and Jonines, the midsummer festival, is celebrated with bonfires and songs. Lithuanian Saturday schools help children keep the language.

Birmingham's strength lies in its variety, and the Lithuanian community is a welcome part of it. As the city continues to grow and change, that contribution will remain part of the story of a place that has always looked forward.