Gyventojų skaičiaus kaitos tendencijos Rytų Lietuvoje: Vilniaus kontekstas

ENThis article analyzes the trends of population change in eastern Lithuania during the period since 1990 till 2012. Functional and regional "rearrangement" of settlement system (in both urban and rural areas) was in progress in the region during the analysed period. In theVilnius city environment, the population increased due to the growing economic importance and citizens’ will to move to live in suburbs. Around the other regional centres (Alytus, Utena), the depopulation rate was slower than in remote border areas. However, in recent years in the peripheral parts of the analysed region the population is decreasing in both urban and rural areas. The article stresses that the geographic location, especially the underlying aspect "centre (Vilnius city) – periphery", was the most important factor which had the biggest influence on the population change directions in eastern Lithuania. It is expected that in the nearest years the importance of this factor will only increase.