When guessing where in the world young people would be happiest, New York, Sydney, Tokyo or Barcelona may come to mind. But under-thirties are happier in this Baltic nation than anywhere else in the world.

What about a place makes it the perfect spot for young people to live? Housing affordability? A balance of nature and urban areas? A booming nightlife industry? Plentiful third spaces? 

When trying to guess where in the world young people would thrive most, some of the peaceful Nordic countries, stunning Mediterranean locations, or even culturally laid-back spots like Australia may come to mind.

According to a World Happiness Report, under-thirties living in Lithuania are happier than young people anywhere else, rating their sense of wellbeing a 7.76 out of ten. 

What about a location makes young people happiest? 

It’s not that Lithuania is a utopia compared to other nations. Older generations didn’t rate their level of wellbeing nearly as high as the youngest cohort, and rates of both alcoholism and suicide are high compared to other countries.

The country went through a period of poverty and instability in the years following its departure from the Soviet Union, and young people are still plagued with the fear of rising right-wing ideologies and the threat of war like their counterparts around the globe.

But the under-thirties remain optimistic.

Free university

University is free for many Lithuanian residents, so unlike many Western countries, young people don’t have to worry about huge student debt when finishing up their education.

As a result, 57 per cent of the population have a tertiary education. 

Opportunity for young people to enter the business and arts sectors

The chance to upskill and study paired with the country’s economic growth in the last few decades means young people feel optimistic about their job opportunities. 

Start-ups thrive in the tech hub, and the booming arts sector means young creatives feel they can still succeed in their dream jobs. 

Filmmaker Marija Kavtaradzė told The Guardian, “I would say that every person who works well can live well here”. 

“Of course, if you are a creative and you work in culture instead of a startup, you will make less money – that’s a fact. But there is this feeling that you can still make it here.”

Affordable housing 

The cost of rent in the Baltic country is lower than most places in Europe. 

28-year-old artist Jolita Vaitkutė told the publication, "When I talk to friends in other places — Paris, Tokyo, London — I realize how lucky I am to have my own space".

Arts and culture

You may have seen articles and social media posts of young people begging for third spaces to meet new people, catch up with old friends and be entertained away from our screens.

Lithuania has a great nightlife industry, that’s evergrowing.

“We could compare it to Berlin in some ways, just on a smaller scale”, 26-year-old resident and DJ, Simas told Dazed.

Fellow 26-year-old Lina explained the country’s bustling nightlife isn’t inherently built around drinking culture like spots in many Western countries, though. “Nowadays people really do gather in bars just to communicate and expand their social circle. We’re not so much into alcohol. It’s not even considered cool to drink”, she said.

Green spaces

The amount of beautiful green spaces throughout the country provides residents with the happy hormones that come from being in nature, as well as opportunities for work life balance. 

In the capital of Vilnius, it’s common to see young people picnicking in parks, laying by rivers and playing sports wherever they can. 

"Lithuanians love the outdoors," founder of travel blog Full Suitcase, Jurga Rubinovaite told the BBC. "They take every opportunity they have to leave the city and enjoy the forests, the lakes and the beautiful seaside."

An optimistic culture

Many young residents grew up watching the country’s culture and attitudes shift and financial stability improve while being told stories by their parents of the reality of living in the Soviet Union.

“Our parents’ childhoods were quite rough, our grandparents’ even worse,” 27-year-old Lithuanian Aistė, who currently lives in the UK told Dazed “It’s maybe what makes us happy, because our point of reference is something that was very tragic.”

“What makes us unique is that we saw the country change really quickly,” Kavtaradzė said. “In my generation we all grew up really similarly, economically – like, I don’t have friends who were rich growing up. So I think that also, in some sense, gives us the mindset that we can do anything.”

Simas said that the younger generations are generally more open-minded than older Lithuanians too.

“I think we might be the happiest because we are the first generation not living by Soviet rules… Even 10 years ago, everyone was watching like crazy if you were dressed differently from others, or if you had a different hairstyle. All those things are different now.” 

“I feel like we’re building towards something. We’re not stagnating. It’s easy to see how good we have it.

The young population is also determined to live in the moment as a result of both their awareness of the harsh reality of living in Soviet-era Lithuania and the current political unrest and conflict in neighbouring countries.

23-year-old resident Karolina Motiejūnaitė said, “We grew up with this fear inside us that everything nice that we have here could be taken away in a second”.

Associate professor in the department of general psychology at Vilnius University, Antanas Kairys told Huffpost that in general, the country’s progress in the last few decades and economic growth “means that (young people) have they have opportunity of education, of travel, of choosing leisure activities, and, actually, if you look at the capital of Lithuania — Vilnius — you see young people everywhere and they are doing what they like to do”.