World Happiness Rankings 2024: People Under 30

What we’re showing

The world’s happiest countries, for those under 30 years old. This data comes from the World Happiness Report 2024, which is produced by Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR's Editorial Board.

Central and Southeastern Europe ranks highly

Young people in these regions are among the happiest in the world, with Lithuania taking the top spot.

Lithuania’s quality of life has grown substantially over the past two decades. For example, in the year 2000, the country’s GDP per capita was below the global average. As of 2022, its GDP per capita is now $25,064, significantly higher than the global average of $12,687.

Other countries from these regions that placed in the top 10 include Serbia (third) and Romania (eighth).

Diverging happiness between the young & old

A common theme among the three aforementioned countries is how happiness has diverged between their young and old populations.

Serbia, which ranked third when looking at those under 30 years old, is ranked 37th overall. When looking at only Serbia's senior population (age over 60), Serbia ranks 54th.

One possible reason for this divergence is the rapid advancement of technology and the economic opportunities it offers to younger generations.