The country with the happiest children and young people is in Europe. The antithesis of life in the USA for Gen Z
The happiest children and young people live in Lithuania, according to the World Happiness Report 2024. The happiness index of the young population is maintained by low rents, free education and an active nightlife.
Lithuania is the happiest place in the world for children and young people under 30, according to the World Happiness Report 2024.
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The World Happiness Report ranks countries based on a happiness survey conducted by Gallup, where respondents evaluate their quality of life. Lithuania ranked 19th in the overall happiness ranking, but secured the top spot in the ranking for people under 30, Business Insider reports.
Lithuanians under 30 rated their happiness at 7.76 out of 10. In comparison, those in the same age group in the USA rated their happiness at 6.392 out of 10, placing the country 62nd globally.
Factors such as low rents, free education and a vibrant nightlife contribute to this perception, The Guardian reports.
Why are Generation Z and young Lithuanian millennials so satisfied with their quality of life?
One of the reasons young Lithuanians are happier is that university is free for a large part of the population.
Gantas Bendikas, 23, told The Guardian that he will graduate from college without having taken out a student loan. In the USA, the average student debt is about $39,000, according to Experian.
Rents are also low – according to Eurostat, Lithuania is one of the cheapest places in Europe to rent a home.
Jolita Vaitkutė, 28, told The Guardian that this also applies to renting a studio apartment. "When I talk to friends from other places – Paris, Tokyo, London – I realize how lucky I am to have my own space", she said.
Studios in the building where the young woman lives cost the equivalent of $109 to $544 per month, which allows aspiring artists to develop in Lithuania.
Artists feel they can "still succeed" in Lithuania, said director Marija Kavtaradzė.
In comparison, the non-profit news publication Prism showed that unaffordable housing, expensive spaces, and unstable incomes make working in the arts a difficult prospect in the USA.
In an essay earlier this year, Ricardo Sergio Schmitz, a Brazilian consultant in Vilnius, told Business Insider that young people have ample career opportunities.
He also noted Vilnius's "startup mentality", with tech firms like Vinted and Nord Security emerging in the city.
Beyond economic opportunities, a Gen Z resident of Vilnius said that Lithuania also offers a vibrant nightlife.
"I would rate the nightlife as one of the best in Europe", said 21-year-old Daniil Švager.
