Lithuania is the happiest country for Generation Z and Millennials, according to the 2024 World Happiness Report.
Countries are ranked according to self-rated life ratings and answers to a Cantrell scale question that asks participants to think of a scale where the best possible life for them is 10 and the worst is 0 and then rate their current life on that scale.
Oxford University's Center for Wellbeing Research, which publishes the report, says it also takes into account the following six variables in more than 130 countries categorized in the report:
GDP per capita Social support Healthy life expectancy Freedom Generosity Freedom of corruption
The World Happiness Report ranked the happiest countries for those 30 and under, who are all considered Generation Z, born 1981-1996, or Millennials, born 1997-2012, according to the Pew Research Center.
The final ranking of the happiest countries for those under 30 and those aged 60 and over is very different. Lithuania ranked first in this ranking, but the country ranked No. 44 for over-60s and was the 19th happiest country in the world overall.
“The rapprochement between the two parts of Europe was mainly driven by the growing happiness of young people,” the report stated.
Lithuania is the happiest country for Generation Z, the millennials
Lithuania received a score of 7,759 in the World Happiness Report 2024. It has been steadily rising in the happiness rankings since 2017, when it ranked 52nd in the overall report, according to Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).
Lithuania has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for under-30s, according to the World Happiness Report.
Angel 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 over.
The cost of living in Lithuania is, on average, 32.2% lower than in the United States, according to Numbeo, and monthly costs per person are estimated at less than $800, not including rent.
The country's capital, Vilnius, ranked highly in the European Cities and Regions of the Future 2023 published by the Financial Times. It is also emerging as a hub for game industry developers and publishers.
Vilnius is home to 90 percent of companies in the country's gaming industry, LRT reported.
The 10 happiest countries for people under 30
Israel ranked second in the happiest country for those under 30, with a score of 7,667 points, according to the World Happiness Report.
The country outperforms the average in life satisfaction, social relationships, and health, according to the Better Life Index of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Average life expectancy at birth is 83 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 81 years.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, and its main exports include diamonds and medicines, according to US News and World Report.
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 America, according to Numbeo.
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