Lithuanian Couples Favor Partially Shared Budgets, Survey Finds

Lithuanian couples are increasingly opting for a hybrid approach to managing their finances, with nearly half favoring a partially shared budget. According to a survey, 46% of individuals in relationships allocate a portion of their income to joint household expenses while retaining personal funds. This model is slightly more popular among men (49%) than women (43%).

Overall, 35% of respondents prefer a fully combined budget for all expenditures, and 20% maintain completely separate finances. Similar trends are observed in neighboring Baltic states, with Latvia reporting 49% and Estonia 43% favoring partially shared budgets. Estonia has 22% of couples managing finances separately, compared to 17% in Latvia.

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The fact that almost half of the population chooses a partially shared budget shows a desire to reconcile two needs – joint responsibility for the household and the desire to be financially independent.

Rasa Narė, head of customer experience improvement at Citadele Bank, noted that the popularity of partially shared budgets reflects a desire to balance shared household responsibility with financial independence. She described it as a stable model that aids in planning expenses and assessing joint capabilities. The survey also revealed that 75% of Lithuanians believe financial security for the family should be an equal responsibility for both partners, a view held consistently across age groups, though slightly more pronounced among older respondents.

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When financial security is considered the duty of one partner, the other often becomes less involved in financial decisions.