Lithuania retains EU’s highest homicide rate as killings fall

Lithuania has the European Union’s highest rate of intentional homicide, but its rate has fallen sharply over the past decade, LRT reports. Criminologist Gintautas Sakalauskas says former Soviet states have traditionally topped the rankings, and notes that Lithuania also continues to have a high suicide rate.

Lithuania remains at the top

Eurostat data published on Wednesday show 2.63 homicides per 100,000 people in Lithuania each year, the highest rate in the EU. Latvia, Estonia and Finland follow.

The rate is down from 5.27 per 100,000 a decade ago, a decrease that is also the largest in the EU. In 2024, 74 people were intentionally killed in Lithuania, compared with 560 in 1994.

Sakalauskas, an associate professor and criminologist at Vilnius University, said Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have historically led the homicide statistics. He links the pattern to a culture of violence, disrespect and aggression, which he describes as a legacy of Soviet occupation. Some causes, he said, may also stem from childhood, infancy and upbringing.

“The statistics show that there is a lot of aggression,” Sakalauskas said, pointing to other indicators including domestic violence and bullying in schools. He added that Lithuania also stands out for the number of cases involving serious bodily harm, with violence more likely to result in death or severe injury. He described cases in which victims were struck repeatedly with objects, sometimes 50 or 60 times.

However, Sakalauskas urged caution when comparing homicide rates across countries because legal definitions differ. Lithuania takes a broad approach to intentional homicide, including cases of indirect intent. For example, if someone punches another person, who falls and dies after hitting the edge of a pavement, Lithuania may classify the death as intentional homicide with indirect intent, he said. In Germany, such a case would probably be classified as serious bodily harm resulting in death.

Typical homicides often happen among people who know each other and involve alcohol at celebrations, Sakalauskas said. Men most often kill other men who are not related to them, while women more often kill men close to them.

Lithuania also has one of the EU’s highest suicide rates. Sakalauskas said the underlying causes are similar: some people direct anger outward, while others withdraw or take their own lives.

Stricter penalties do not explain the decline

Although homicides have fallen rapidly, Sakalauskas said the decline may slow in the future. He attributes the improvement in part to cultural changes, including changing relationships, greater regard for others and less aggression.

He said the fall in homicides cannot be attributed to tougher penalties, despite public calls for harsher sentences after particularly brutal crimes. Homicides have continued to decline without such changes.

Sakalauskas also cautioned against treating alcohol as the cause of homicides. Many people drink, he said, but only a small percentage drink heavily, and most do not kill anyone. Alcohol is one factor among several, he added.