Apparent population growth a 'statistical illusion'

RTÉ News · RTÉ News · 2026-11-04 11:26 UTC

The Lithuanian city of Šiauliai has lost around 6,000 registered residents in six months after authorities began deregistering thousands of foreigners who had declared their place of residence at a university dormitory.

The Lithuanian city of Šiauliai has lost around 6,000 registered residents in six months after authorities began deregistering thousands of foreigners who had declared their place of residence at a university dormitory, exposing a demographic decline that had previously been obscured by inflated population figures.

The case has revealed how the registration of third-country nationals had made the country's fourth-largest city – with a population of a little over 111,000, according to official data from last July – appear to be growing despite a falling birth rate and a natural population decrease.

Around 17,000 people had declared the dormitory, which belongs to Vilnius University's Šiauliai Academy, as their place of residence last spring. A businessman who had rented the premises from the university had allowed them to register at the address.

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