On the traditional index published by the London-based Legatum institute, Lithuania is ahead of Latvia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Russia, Belarus, and other post-Soviet countries. However, it is behind Estonia, Poland, and many other European Union (EU) countries.
Lithuania's standing was refueled by the education situation, while Lithuania performed the worst in categories of personal freedom and economy where Lithuanians are particularly unhappy with their living standards.
Top three countries on the index, which is published for the 6th consecutive year, are Scandinavian nations, namely, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The United States dropped from the 10th place to the 12th.
The ranking clearly reflects the economic crisis in the euro zone – 24 out of 33 European countries dropped on the list over the past three years.
Among Eastern European countries, Lithuania is below Slovenia (24th place), the Czech Republic (28), Poland (32), Estonia (35), Slovakia (36), and Hungary (39).
Worse performers include Latvia (47), Bulgaria (48), Croatia (50), Belarus (54), Montenegro (57), Romania (60), Russia (66), Ukraine (71), Macedonia (75), Serbia (79), Moldova (84), Albania (92), Georgia (93), Azerbaijan (94), Armenia (98), Bosnia and Herzegovina (99).
