Lithuania has one of the best developed telephone systems in the former Soviet Union. In 2001 there were over 1 million main line telephones and 500,000 mobile cellular phones. Broadcasting is controlled by Lithuanian Television and Radio Broadcasting. Radio Vilnius broadcasts in Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and English. As of 2001 there were 29 AM and 142 FM radio stations. There were also 27 television stations. In 2000 there were about 500 radios and 422 television sets for every 1,000 people. The same year, there were about 65 personal computers in use for every 1,000 people. In 2001, there were 32 Internet service providers serving 341,000 users.

The most popular daily newspapers are Lietuvos Rytas ( Lithuania's Morning , in Russian), with a 2002 circulation of 85,000; Respubliká (55,000); Lietuvos Aidas ( The Echo of Lithuania , 20,000); and Kauno Diena ( Kaunas Daily , 57,000). There are also several periodicals available.

The constitution provides for free speech and a free press, and the government is said to uphold these provisions. Since independence, the independent print media have flourished, producing some 2,000 newspapers and periodicals, and plans for a number of private radio and television stations are underway.

Important economic organizations include the Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization that coordinates the activities of all the chambers of commerce in Lithuania. There are three umbrella trade union organizations in the country: the Lithuania Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the Lithuania Union of Trade Unions, and the Lithuanian Workers' Union.

The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences promotes education and research in a wide variety of scientific fields. There are a number of sports associations in the country. The Council of Lithuanian Youth Organizations helps organize and support a variety of youth groups. Scouting programs and chapters of the YMCA/YWCA are also active for youth. Kiwanis and Lion's clubs that programs in the country. The Red Cross is also active.

As of 2001, national statistics indicated that there were 356 housing units per 1,000 people. About 97% of these units are privately owned. The average living space is about 21.5 square meters per person. City governments are being encouraged to take more responsibility for social housing projects. Homeowners associations are being encouraged and new laws are being drafted for residential building associations The Housing Loan Insurance Company was established in 2000 to provide insurance of loans and to promote housing loans with a low (5%) down payment.

For the year 2000, adult illiteracy was estimated at 0.5% (males, 0.3%; females, 0.6%). Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 15 years (for 9 years). While Lithuanian is the most common medium of instruction, children also study Polish, Russian, and Yiddish. In 1997, primary schools enrolled 225,701 students and employed 14,095 teachers. Student-to-teacher ratio stood at 16 to one. At the secondary level in the same year, there were 378,754 students and 36,932 teachers. As of 1999, 94% of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school, while 88% of those eligible attended secondary school.

Postsecondary institutions had 13,136 teachers and a total student body of 83,645 in 1997. The four known universities are: Kaunas University of Technology (founded in 1950); Vilnius Technical University (founded in 1961); Vilnius University (founded in 1579); and Vytautas Magnus University (founded in 1922). Approximately 22.8% of the government's annual budget was allocated to education in the latter part of the 1990s. As of 1999, public expenditure on education was estimated at 6.4% of GDP.

The National Library at Vilnius has 9.2 million volumes. Founded in 1570, the Vilnius University Library has 5.3 million volumes. Vilnius also has the Central Library of the Academy of Sciences, with 3.66 million volumes. There are dozens of other special collections in the country, including libraries maintained by the Union of Lithuanian Writers, the State Institute of Art, and the Institute of Urban Planning. In 1997, there were 1,478 public libraries in the country.

The majority of Lithuania's museums are in Vilnius, and these include the Lithuanian Art Museum (1941), the National Museum (1856), the Museum of Lithuanian Religious History, and, founded in 1991 just after gaining independence from the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian State Museum, dedicated to the country's suffering under and resistance to Soviet occupation. The Museum of the Center of Europe, an open-air museum displaying large-scale works by European artists, was opened in Vilnius in 1994.

A national system of social insurance covers all of Lithuania's residents and was most recently updated in 2000. Old age, sickness, disability, and unemployment benefits are paid on an earnings-related basis, from contributions by both employers and employees. Family allowance benefits are provided by states and municipalities to families with low incomes. There is a universal system of medical care, and a dual social insurance and social assistance program for maternity and health payments. Unemployment benefits are provided to applicants with at least 24 months of previous contributions and is paid for a period not exceeding six months.

Legally, men and women have equal status, including equal pay for equal work, although in practice women are underrepresented in managerial and professional positions. Discrimination against women in the workplace persists. Violence against women, especially domestic abuse, is common. Child abuse is a serious social problem, and in 1995 the government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Authorities link the upsurge in child abuse to alcoholism.

Human rights are generally respected in Lithuania, and human rights organizations are permitted to operate freely and openly. One concern is the Preventive Detention Law, renewed in 1995, which allows persons suspected of violent crime to be held for up to two months while the crime is investigated. Prolonged detention still occurs in some of cases, and poor prison conditions persist.

In 1998, Lithuania had approximately 13,950 physicians, of which about one-third were primary care providers in the public health system. Most primary care providers are women. In the same year, there were a total of 187 hospitals with 35,612 beds. As of 1999, there were an estimated 4 physicians and 9.2 hospital beds per 1,000 people. Hospitals beds per 1,000 people decreased by over one-fifth between 1990 and 1998. In 1994, the Public Health Surveillance Service was established to oversee control of communicable diseases, environmental and occupational health, and some other areas. As of 1999, total health care expenditure was estimated at 6.3% of GDP.

One-year-old children were immunized as of 1995 as follows: tuberculosis, 97%; diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, 96%; polio, 89%; and measles, 94%. As of 1999 the rates were 93% for DPT and 97% for measles. In 1999, there were 99 cases of tuberculosis per 100,000 people.

Life expectancy was 73 years in 2000. The infant mortality rate in 2000 was 9 per 1,000 live births and the fertility rate has decreased from 2.5 in 1960 to 1.3 in 2000. The maternal mortality rate was 18 per 100,000 live births in 1998. As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at, respectively, 8.3 and 14.7 per 1,000 people. As of 1999, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was estimated at fewer than 500 and deaths from AIDS that year were estimated at fewer than 100. HIV prevalence was 0.02 per 100 adults. In Lithuania, there has been a 13% increase in diphtheria cases from 1994 to 1995.

In 1992, more than half of all men over 15 (52%) smoked, while only 10% of women smoked. The deaths from cardiovascular disease in 1994 numbered 24,348.