Youth are regarded as a specific social group between the period of childhood and adulthood. Their quality of life is determined by the subjective feeling of satisfaction and the objective factors that influence it. One of the factors is the young person's environment, that is, the region where he or she spends his/her formative years. The Republic of Croatia consists of a multitude of regions which are very different in terms of their developmental stages, and thus have a different impact on the quality of life of their inhabitants. This research covered three aspects of quality of life with special regard to two specific areas: regions of special state concern and islands. Lower levels of education and unemployment are much more often observed in undeveloped, isolated or war stricken areas and regions. Lack of service, weakened financial capacity and collapsed infrastructure are just some of the obstacles for the inhabitants of the poorly developed areas. Young people usually spend their leisure time idling away, with a noticeable lack of adequate space and interesting content, as shown by the example of differently developed regions of Croatia, the city of Zadar and the cities of Slavonija. Political participation of the population is the foundation of every democratic country. Young people as a specific social group are often excluded from politics, which according to data, closely interacts with inertia and disinterest in regard to political topics and activities. In addition to that, young people are often distrustful of state institutions and politicians. The quality of life of the inhabitants of the areas under special state concern and the islands is also shown, where it is clear how much the development of the local community affects the individual and his or her life circumstances.