According to the World Happiness Report 2024, Lithuania is the happiest country for Generation Z and millennials.
Countries are ranked based on self-rated life ratings and responses to the Cantril scale question which asks respondents to think of a scale where the best possible life for them is a 10 and the worst is a zero, then rate their current life on that scale.
The University of Oxford’s Center for Wellbeing Research, which publishes the report, says it also looks at the following six variables in the more than 130 countries ranked in the report:
- Pro-capite GDP
- Social support
- Healthy life expectancy
- Freedom
- Generosity
- Freedom from corruption
The World Happiness Report ranked the happiest countries for people aged 30 and under, all of whom are considered Gen Z, born from 1981 to 1996, or Millennial, born from 1997 to 2012, according to the Pew Research Center.
The final rankings of the happiest countries for those under 30 and those over 60 are quite different. Lithuania took first place in this ranking, but the country ranked 44th for those over 60 and was the 19th happiest country in the world, overall.
“The convergence between the two halves of Europe has been driven mainly by the growing happiness of young people,” the report says.
Lithuania is the happiest country for generation Z, millennials
Lithuania achieved an overall score of 7,759 in the World Happiness Report 2024. It has steadily climbed the happiness rankings since 2017, when it ranked 52nd overall, according to Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).
According to the World Happiness Report, Lithuania is the happiest country in the world for those under 30.
Angelo Villalba | Moment | Getty Images
According to the CIA World Factbook, 63.11% of the country’s population is between the ages of 15 and 64, while only 21.59% are 65 and older.
According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Lithuania is, on average, 32.2% lower than in the United States, and a single person’s estimated monthly expenses are less than $800, not including rent.
The country’s capital, Vilnius, ranked high in the Financial Times’ European Cities and Regions of the Future 2023 ranking. It is also emerging as a hub for developers and publishers in the gaming industry.
Vilnius is home to 90% of the country’s gaming companies, the LRT says.
The 10 happiest countries for people under 30
- Lithuania
- Israel
- Serbia
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
- Finland
- Romania
- Netherlands
- Czechia
According to the World Happiness Report, Israel ranked as the second happiest country for those under 30, with a score of 7,667.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Better Life Index, the country outperforms average in terms of life satisfaction, social connections and health. Life expectancy at birth is 83 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 81 years.
According to US News and World Report, Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world and includes cut diamonds and pharmaceuticals among its top exports.
While the cost of living in Israel is, on average, only 7.9% lower than in the United States, rent is, on average, 30% lower than in the United States, according to Numbeo.
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