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VILNIUS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of emigrants leaving Lithuania more than doubled in January, data published by Statistics Lithuania showed on Thursday.
A total of 7,048 people were registered as having emigrated in January, compared with January 2016 when 3,445 people were registered as having left the country. January saw the highest monthly emigration since August 2010, the statistics agency showed.
But analysts said the number of emigrants had jumped because of an increase in emigration applications recently filled by Lithuanians who had left the country long before and not because the actual number of emigrants had suddenly spiked.
The reason for the increase was also due to the Lithuanian State Social Insurance Fund Board (Sodra) announcing in January that the residents who were late paying social security tax could face penalties. Around 300,000 Lithuanians were asked to cover their debt for social insurance by Sodra.
To avoid social security taxes, some Lithuanians have to inform the country's authorities they have emigrated.
Lithuania, a small country with a population of less than 3 million, has been dealing with high emigration since the country joined the European Union (EU) in 2004.
In 2016, almost 51,000 people emigrated from Lithuania, compared with 44,533 in 2015. Enditem
