The EU regional Social Progress Index 2.0 - 2024 edition

The 2024 edition of the EU-SPI confirms that social progress varies greatly across EU regions, with Nordic countries consistently performing better than eastern and southern Member States. Moreover, while capital regions often outperform their national averages, they can lag in basic needs like safety and housing affordability. Across the EU, roughly 60 % of people live in regions exceeding the average social progress score. This dips to 50 % when focusing solely on basic needs, like healthcare, sanitation, and housing.

Results also show that social progress fosters inclusive growth. Regions with higher social progress tend to have lower shares of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and a smaller gender gap in employment. In addition, regions with stronger social progress offer better opportunities for young graduates to enter the labour market.