The number of temporary residence permits issued to foreigners in Lithuania declined for the first time in the first half of 2024, according to data from the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD), BNS reports. At the same time, the number of permit renewals increased several times. LMD issued 78,121 temporary residence permits to foreigners in six months, of which more than 33,000 were first-time permits and around 44,000 were extensions. In the first half of 2023, LMD issued almost 72,000 first-time temporary residence permits and renewed 14,500 permits. The number of Ukrainians in Lithuania has decreased by around 10,000 over six months. The Ukrainian diaspora, which numbers over 76,000 people, remains the largest in the country, and almost 44,000 of them are refugees. Belarusians total more than 62,000, followed by Russians with around 15,500, Uzbeks with 10,200, and Tajiks with 7,000.