Compact and Connected: What Makes Vilnius the #1 European Sharing Economy

Vilnius has been ranked #1 in Europe and #2 globally for its supportive sharing economy, thanks to business-friendly regulations and strong community ties. The city's compact scale builds trust in new services and makes Vilnius a standout model for shared economy growth across Europe.

The growth of Vilnius’s sharing economy is gaining international notice, as the city has been ranked #1 in Europe and #2 globally in the Consumer Choice Center’s Sharing Economy Index 2025. The report, which covers 65 major cities worldwide, looked at cities’ overall friendliness to services such as ride-hailing, car sharing, short-term accommodations, e-scooters, and peer-to-peer lending. Vilnius achieved top scores in all of the above categories, with room for improvement in the areas of ultra-fast delivery and flat-sharing.

In the study, Vilnius stands out for offering a broad mix of sharing-economy services, easy access, and low regulatory barriers to entry. Moreover, the city’s compact scale and strong ties among residents and local companies help new business models spread quickly. This type of community atmosphere encourages both investment and user engagement.

Compact ecosystem helps drive adoption

The compact scale of Vilnius, a city of about 600,000 people, makes it easy for new ideas and services to catch on quickly. “Vilnius is a place where word of mouth still moves markets,” says Mangirdas Šapranauskas, Head of Foreign Investment and Talent Development Department at Go Vilnius, the city’s official tourism and business development agency. “Most people are ready to try a new ride-sharing or delivery service because they have friends, colleagues, or family already using it. There is a level of trust in Vilnius that bigger cities sometimes lose.”

In a tight-knit ecosystem like Vilnius, where people are closely connected and companies are highly visible in daily life, feedback can travel quickly between users and businesses. This allows companies to adjust their offers and address user needs in real time. The personal nature of these interactions helps foster ongoing engagement and fine-tuning, keeping services close to what local residents want and use most.

Business-friendly policies foster new services

Vilnius stands out not only for its variety of sharing-economy platforms but also for its supportive business environment. According to Gustas Germanavicius, founder and CEO of InRento, a Vilnius-based real estate crowdfunding company, “Lithuania is one of the most advanced European countries in terms of crowdfunding regulation and its supporting legal framework, including tax and mortgage laws. Here, crowdfunding is well understood by the average person, reflecting a strong community mindset, supportive government stance, and investor openness, creating a highly favorable environment for sharing-economy solutions.”

Svajūnas Aliukonis, General Manager for the carsharing service Bolt Drive in Lithuania, confirms that Vilnius is developing at a pace that few European cities can match.

“Vilnius is becoming a city where you don't have to own a car to live comfortably, which wasn't really the case, let’s say, ten years ago. The change is gradual and I wouldn’t say that people are giving up their cars to make a statement – they are doing it because having a shared car or a scooter right on the corner often makes more sense for a specific trip."

The sharing economy in Vilnius also benefits from a combination of low regulatory barriers and a practical approach to policy. These conditions help sharing-economy companies to launch quickly and grow steadily in the local market. Such an environment benefits local entrepreneurs and users alike, while keeping Vilnius consistently competitive in global rankings.