Lithuania – unprecedented foreign praise: “This is a great success story of a country that was once a branch of hell”

“This compliment of the man who picked me up at the Vilnius airport was said with real feeling. And during my visit to the country, I heard variations on the same theme dozens of times, repeated by business executives, scientists, and even generally cynical journalists.

All this seemed like an adrenaline injection for a guest from Great Britain, who is gnawed by hatred of the government and despair about the future”, – Bloomberg author Adrian Wooldridge shares his impressions after his visit to Lithuania.

The success story of the Baltic States

In his text, he writes that just 40 years ago, Lithuania was a poor province of the Soviet empire, but today its GDP is 90 percent. European average. Moreover, in 2024 The World Happiness Report found that Lithuanians under 30 are the happiest in the world.

“The country is no longer lagging behind the West, but is creating world-class companies on its own. Vinted is a recycling giant whose app helps people sell their ‘second-hand’ clothes, shoes and accessories.

Nordsec Ltd, which offers the popular virtual private network software NordVPN, is a cyber security giant. BOD Group is a successful manufacturer of solar cells and optical lenses. Teltonika Networks is a leading manufacturer of IoT equipment. Brolis Semiconductors manufactures optical and laser equipment for both civilian and military applications. “TransferGo simplifies the transfer of money across borders, especially in and out of Europe”, – A. Wooldridge names the giants of Lithuanian innovation.

In his opinion, Lithuania used to suffer from what could be called the Estonia complex: “a sense of inferiority in relation to neighboring Estonia, which has so well recommended itself as the homeland of Skype and digital government.” Although this complex has not disappeared, Lithuanians are increasingly convinced that they are the real success story of the Baltic countries”.

Three competence clusters

According to A. Wooldridge, Lithuania has three competence clusters that predict a good future. The first is financial technologythe second – lasers and optics.

“However, the country’s greatest resource is not any specific experience, but theirs.” commitment to nation building. The sense that this is a “golden age” goes hand in hand with a sense of vulnerability: Lithuanians understand very well that the only way for a small country like theirs to survive in a dangerous world is to create a high-tech economy that can outwit and outsmart its huge neighbors.

Different industry groups willingly share knowledge and money to create thriving ecosystems. Companies also have an uncanny ability to reinvent themselves when the situation changes, especially as the threat of war has increased in recent years,” writes Bloomberg’s author.

Not only that, he distinguishes that in Lithuania, apart from the above-mentioned successful sectors, there are also profitable wood and game industries, and an open niche – military technologies.

“Lithuania is nevertheless a great success story that deserves more attention than it gets. This is a success story for Lithuanians who have created a viable economy in a difficult corner of the world.

This is the success story of liberalism: international liberal organizations like NATO and the EU that decided to do the right thing, and liberal ideas like democracy and the free market that took root in Russia’s shadow. At a time when we were agonizing over the failures of liberalism and the progress of authoritarianism, a country that was once a ward of hell now thrives in freedom and prosperity,” concluded A. Wooldridge.