Chemicals

Rapid development throughout deep production specialization and installation of new technologies

Chemicals and plastics, the two closely related sectors, stand out as some of the best-established industrial activities in Lithuania. The production of main chemicals, fertilizers and primary forms of plastics account for over 80 percent of the country’s chemical industry turnover.

Key manufacturers within the sector include Lithuanian companies Achema (a leading manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers and chemical products in the Baltic States) and Lifosa (a producer of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer), and foreign-capital companies Neo Group and Orion Global Pet (makers of PET raisin, based in the seaport city Klaipėda). The chemical and plastics sector employs over 5,400 people.

In 2020 the growth of domestically produced chemicals and chemical products exports was around 4.8% and reached the value of 2,347 million EUR. In 2020 exports of domestically produced goods consisted mainly of miscellaneous chemical products (34%), fertilizers (25%) and plastics and articles thereof (20%). Increase in domestically produced exports in 2020 was mostly driven by the growth of exports of miscellaneous chemical products (exports value increased twice or by 406 million EUR), whereas the largest decline in exports was recorded for plastics and articles thereof (decreased by 25% or 150 million EUR).

The most important export markets for the domestically produced chemical industry in 2020 were the USA (21%), Poland (9.8%), the Netherlands (9.8%) and Germany (8.2%). Countries in the European Union accounted for 62% of exports by the Lithuanian chemical industry in 2020. The exports of Lithuanian chemical industry products in 2020 has grown most significantly to the USA (exports value increased by about 3 times or 328 million EUR) and the Netherlands (increased by 99% or 114 million EUR), whereas the largest decline was recorded for Poland (decreased by 22% or 64 million EUR).

Sector’s key product lines

Sector’s key competitive advantages

Effective partnership with major international industrial groups
Deep production specialization
Well-established position in the global market
Lithuania is the 13th largest exporter of fertilizers in the world, with a 1.7 percent share of the global fertilizers exports

Overview of Lithuanian Chemicals Industry