Quality of life indicators - measuring quality of life

Figure 1: GDP versus gross disposable income of households, euro area, in volume/real terms, seasonally adjusted (2005=100), 2005-2012
Source: Eurostat

Map 1: GDP per capita in PPS, 2011
Source: Eurostat (nama_aux_gph)

Source: Statistics Explained

This article is part of the Eurostat online publication Quality of life indicators, providing recent statistics on the quality of life in the European Union (EU). The publication presents a detailed analysis of many different dimensions of quality of life, complementing the indicator traditionally used as the measure of economic and social development, gross domestic product (GDP).

The present article is a general introduction to the set of '8+1' statistical articles (see below), sketching the conceptual, policy and methodological background: what is quality of life and how can its different aspects be measured adequately?

Contents

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• 1 The need for measurement beyond GDP
  • 1.1 Other measures of income reflect better households' situations
  • 1.2 Increasing GDP today, depleting resources for tomorrow
  • 1.3 GDP is an aggregate measure ...
  • 1.4 GDP and other economic measures need to be complemented ...
• 2 Framework
• 3 8+1 dimensions of quality of life
  • 3.1 Material living conditions
  • 3.2 Productive or main activity
  • 3.3 Health
  • 3.4 Education
  • 3.5 Leisure and social interactions
  • 3.6 Economic and physical safety
  • 3.7 Governance and basic rights
  • 3.8 Natural and living environment
  • 3.9 Overall experience of life
• 4 Data sources and availability
• 5 Conclusion
• 6 See also
• 7 Further Eurostat information
  • 7.1 Publications
  • 7.2 Dedicated section
  • 7.3 Source data for tables, figures and maps (MS Excel)
  • 7.4 Other information
• 8 External links
• 9 Notes