Quality of life indicators

Quality of life indicators is a Eurostat online publication providing recent statistics on the quality of life in the European Union (EU). The publication presents a detailed analysis of 8+1 dimensions which can be measured statistically to represent the different complementary aspects of quality of life, complementing the indicator traditionally used as the measure of economic and social development, gross domestic product (GDP). Eight of these dimensions concern the functional capabilities citizens should have available to effectively pursue their self-defined well-being, according to their own values and priorities. The last dimension refers to the personal achievement of life satisfaction and well-being.

For each quality of life dimension a set of selected relevant statistical indicators is presented and analysed. Trends over time and differences between countries or demographic groups are discussed. In each case the emphasis has been on highlighting interesting findings, rather than providing a complete and exhaustive presentation of all available statistical data.