Lithuania Jan. retail sales rise 9.3% YoY
TL;DR
Lithuania's retail sales grew 3.3% YoY in December 2025, the slowest since May, with mixed trends: non-food sales slowed while food sales rose. Monthly sales rebounded to 0.8%, indicating short-term stabilization despite annual moderation.
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Lithuania Jan. retail sales rise 9.3% YoY
Lithuania’s Retail Sales Grow 3.3% Year-on-Year in December 2025
Retail sales in Lithuania rose by 3.3% year-on-year in December 2025, matching the previous month's growth rate but marking the softest expansion since May 2025 according to Trading Economics. The increase followed a revised 3.8% gain in November, reflecting a moderation in consumer activity across several categories as reported.
Non-food product sales grew by 7.9% YoY in December, down from 10.3% in October, while mail order and internet sales slowed to 16.4% from 28.6% according to data. Sales at other non-specialized stores also decelerated to 37.7% from 39.3%. Conversely, food, beverages, and tobacco sales rose 1.4% YoY, outpacing the 1.1% growth in October according to Trading Economics. Automotive fuel sales declined by 3.9%, an improvement from the -4.4% contraction in November as reported.
On a monthly basis, retail sales increased by 0.8% in December, rebounding from a revised 0.2% rise in November according to data. This suggests short-term stabilization in consumer spending despite the annual growth slowdown.
Historically, Lithuania's retail sales have averaged 3.4% YoY growth since 1999, with peaks like 34.9% in April 2021 (post-pandemic rebound) and troughs such as -26.2% in November 2009 during the global financial crisis according to CEIC Data. Current trends align with projections of 2.9% growth in Q1 2026, with longer-term forecasts expecting 3.0% in 2026 and 4.2% in 2027 according to Trading Economics.
The data underscores a mixed retail landscape, with resilience in essential goods offsetting weaker demand in non-essential and digital sectors. Policymakers and investors will likely monitor upcoming consumer confidence indicators, which showed a 5.7% rise in retail trade sentiment in January 2026 according to CEIC Data, for further insights into spending trends.
(https://tradingeconomics.com/lithuania/retail-sales-annual): Trading Economics, CEIC Data
(https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/lithuania/retail-sales-growth): CEIC Data
(https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/lithuania/retail-sales-growth): Business Tendency Survey: Retail Trade, January 2026
