Luxembourg stands out as the European leader in quality of life for 2025, achieving a score of 220 on the Quality of Life Index. The Netherlands follows closely behind with 211 points, while Albania and Ukraine rank at the bottom with scores of 104 and 115 respectively. This index provides a thorough assessment of living conditions across Europe, reflecting various factors that shape the overall well-being of populations and extending beyond purely economic metrics. Understanding the quality of life index The quality of life index is a multifaceted measure that incorporates factors such as purchasing power, pollution levels, housing affordability, cost of living, safety, healthcare quality, traffic conditions, and climate, to measure the overall quality of life of a Country. Higher overall index scores indicate better living conditions. However, in subindexes such as pollution, cost of living, and traffic commute time, lower values correspond to improved quality of life. Challenges affecting life satisfaction Despite the fact that European countries register high levels of life quality by for example leading the ranking of happiest countries in the world, life satisfaction across the European Union has been on a downward trend since 2018. The EU's overall life satisfaction score dropped from 7.3 out of 10 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2022. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges such as high inflation. Rising housing costs, in particular, have emerged as a critical concern, significantly affecting quality of life. This issue has played a central role in shaping voter priorities for the European Parliamentary Elections in 2024 and becoming one of the most pressing challenges for Europeans, profoundly influencing both daily experiences and long-term well-being.

The European Quality of Life survey (EQLS) examines both the objective circumstances of European citizens' lives, and how they feel about those circumstances, and their lives in general. It looks at a range of issues, such as employment, income, education, housing, family, health and work-life balance. It also looks at subjective topics, such as people's levels of happiness, how satisfied they are with their lives, and how they perceive the quality of their societies. The survey is carried out every four years.The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) commissioned GfK EU3C to carry out the survey. The survey was carried in the 27 European Member States (EU27), and the survey was also implemented in seven non-EU countries. The survey covers residents aged 18 and over. A selection of key findings from the 2010/11 data released in July 2013 are presented in this briefing: The socio-economic position of Londoners in Europe: An analysis of the 2011 European Quality of Life Survey. For the purposes of the rankings in this report, London is treated as a 35th European country.The themes covered in the analysis below are: volunteering, community relations, trust in society, public services ratings, well-being, health, wealth and poverty, housing, and skills and employment. The tables following the analysis on page 4 show figures and rankings for: - London, - rest of the UK, - Europe average, - the highest ranked country, and - the lowest ranked country. Internet use data for all European NUTS1 areas included in spreadsheet. Note figures based on low sample sizes marked in pink.

Estonia and Lithuania had the highest Digital Quality of Life index in Central and Eastern Europe in 2023, at 0.72 and 0.7 points on a scale from zero to one, respectively. In comparison, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored the lowest among the presented CEE countries. The index ranks the quality of digital wellbeing in a country.

In 2023, Norway ranked first with a health index score of 83, followed by Iceland and Sweden. The health index score is calculated by evaluating various indicators that assess the health of the population, and access to the services required to sustain good health, including health outcomes, health systems, sickness and risk factors, and mortality rates. The statistic shows the health and health systems ranking of European countries in 2023, by their health index score.

Since the early 1970s the European Commission´s Standard & Special Eurobarometer are regularly monitoring the public opinion in the European Union member countries. Principal investigators are the Directorate-General Communication and on occasion other departments of the European Commission or the European Parliament. Over time, candidate and accession countries were included in the Standard Eurobarometer Series. Selected questions or modules may not have been surveyed in each sample. Please consult the basic questionnaire for more information on country filter instructions or other questionnaire routing filters. In this study the following modules are included: 1. Standard EU and trend questions, 2. Economic crisis, 3. European citizenship, 4. European values.
Topics: 1. Attitudes towards the EU (standard EU and trend questions): life satisfaction; assessment of the current situation in the following areas: national economy, European economy, personal job situation, financial situation of the own household, national employment situation, quality of life in the own country, quality of life in the EU; expectations for the next twelve months regarding: personal life in general, national economic situation, financial situation of the own household, national employment situation, personal job situation, economic situation in the EU; most important problems in the own country, personally, and in the EU; trust in selected institutions: political parties, national government, national parliament, European Union, regional or local public authorities; image of the EU; meaning of the EU to the respondent; trust in selected European institutions: European Parliament, European Commission, European Central Bank; attitude towards the following issues: European economic and monetary union with one single currency, presentation of the party candidates for the post of the European Commission President at the next European Parliament elections; satisfaction with the democracy in the own country and in the EU; attitude towards a ´United States of Europe´; optimism about the future of the EU.

1. Economic crisis: impact of the economic crisis on the job market has already reached its peak.

2. European citizenship: approval of the following statements: feeling of being a citizen of the EU, knowledge of the rights of EU citizens, desire for more information on the rights of EU citizens; feeling of national and / or European identity; most positive results of the EU.

3. European values: self-rated knowledge about the EU; expected living conditions of future generations in the EU; most important personal values; values that best represent the EU; amount of shared values between member states; approval of selected statements: state intervenes too much in personal lives, necessity for more severe punishment of criminals, immigrants contribute a lot to the own country, people in the own country have a lot in common, respondent understands what is going on in the world.

Demography: nationality; left-right self-placement; marital status; age at end of education; sex; age; occupation; professional position; type of community; household composition and household size; financial difficulties during the last year; self-rated social position (scale); internet use (at home, at work, at school); self-reported belonging to the working class, the middle class or the upper class of society; frequency of discussions about political matters on national, European, and local level; own voice counts in the own country and in the EU; general direction things are going in the own country and in the EU.

Additionally coded was: respondent ID; country; date of interview; time of the beginning of the interview; duration of the interview; number of persons present during the interview; respondent cooperation; size of locality; region; language of the interview; nation group; weighting factor.

Attitude towards the EU. Common EU policy. Globalisation. Economy. Interest in science and research. Science and media.

Topics: 1. Frequency of political discussions among friends; personal opinion leadership; life satisfaction; expected change in the next 12 months concerning: life in general, the economic situation in the country, the financial situation of the own household, the employment situation in the country, the personal job situation and the economic situation in the EU; assessment of the present personal situation compared with the past; expected change of the personal situation in the next five years (economic expectations); situation in the own country in comparison with other EU countries (economic situation, employment situation, cost of living, energy prices, healthcare system, pension system, social welfare situation, educational system, quality of life, public transport, environmental situation, knowledge of foreign languages); image of the EU (modern, democratic, protective, inefficient, technocratic); membership of own country in the EU is a good thing; benefits of the country´s membership in the EU; positive image of the EU; personal importance of the EU; knowledge of European institutions (European Parliament, European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank); importance of these institutions for the EU; trust in institutions; knowledge test (number of member countries, direct election of members of Parliament, presidential cycle); primary issues facing own country at the moment; opinions of national governments should be taken into account in European decision making; assessment of the general knowledge in the country (split: the respondents themselves) about the measures to be taken at European Union level; respondent’s knowledge (split: the citizens of its country) about European political affairs relating to: fighting crime, taxation, fighting unemployment, fighting terrorism, defence and foreign affairs, immigration, educational system, pensions, environmental protection, health and social welfare, agriculture and fishery, consumer protection, scientific and technological research, support for regions facing economic difficulties, energy, competition, transports, economy; self-rated knowledge about EU measures in other EU countries; preferred sources of information about the EU, its policies and institutions; impact of the EU enlargement; attitude to the European Monetary Union, a common foreign policy, a common defense and security policy, further enlargement of the EU, a constitution for the EU, a two-speed Europe, teaching school children about the way EU institutions work; image of: companies, welfare state, competitiveness, free trade, protectionism, globalisation, liberalisation, trade unions, reforms, public administration, flexibility; economic effects of globalisation for the own country; adequate protection from negative effects and benefit from the positive effects of globalisation by the EU; global warming as an urgent issue of EU policy; need for new policies to reduce greenhouse gases; respondent’s attachment to his village or to his city, to his country, to the European Union; agreement with statements on the issues: security of the own country by EU membership, economic stability of the own country due to EU membership, political stability due to EU membership, significance of own voice in the EU, understanding of the processes within the EU, significance of the country’s voice in the EU, growing influence of the own country in the EU, appreciation of the own country’s interests in the EU, power of the individual countries in the EU, personal involvement in European affairs; greatest successes of European integration (peace among the member states, free movement of people, goods and services within the EU, the Euro, student exchange programmes such as ERASMUS, common agricultural policy); association with the 50th anniversary of the Rome Treaty; optimism about the future of the EU; assessment of the future development of the EU in the next 50 years (direct election of a European president, secondary economic power, Euro as the strongest currency, position of a leading diplomatic power in the world and an EU own army); attitude to the expansion of the EU´s common foreign and security policy and the European security and defence policy (own foreign minister, independence of the EU´s foreign policy of the United States foreign policy, common immigration policy towards people from outside the EU); issues that create a feeling of community among the European Union citizens; most important issues to be treated to strengthen the EU; knowledge of the European flag, opinion on the European flag (good symbol for Europe, flag stands for something good, identification with the flag, flag should be seen on all public buildings next to the national flag); efficiency of selected educational measures on the EU (common European history book, common...

BackgroundThe study of physiotherapy is challenging and can affect the students’ well-being and quality of life. The aim of this study was to describe and compare factors that could affect well-being among students across Europe.MethodsIn this descriptive cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire survey, students of bachelor’s physiotherapy programs from 23 European faculties, from 8 countries, were interviewed on mental health and stress burden, sleep quality, dietary habits, and physical activity.ResultsAlthough 75% of students rated their quality of life positively and 47% were satisfied with their mental health, 65% showed higher levels of stress and 51% described impaired sleep quality. The minimum physical activity of 150 min weekly was described by 79% of students, within which 67% engaged in strengthening twice a week. Students with a higher stress load/worse psychological health also showed worse sleep quality and lower amount of physical activity, women were significantly worse off. In terms of physical activity and sleep quality, students from Finland and Kosovo achieved the best results, while students from Italy, Greece, and Portugal achieved the worst. Students from Italy indicated the greatest dissatisfaction with the organisation of the study system and communication with teachers, while in Kosovo students rated the communication and study organisation the highest. All students had a problem with adhering to nutritional habits. Students from Italy and Spain, with the lowest body mass indexes and weight averages, were closest to the nutrition recommendations.ConclusionWe demonstrated that physiotherapy students are burdened with stress, suffer from sleep disorders, and do not follow the recommendations regarding nutrition nor physical activity. There are significant differences between universities and countries in some aspects.

In 2024, Ireland was the country in Europe with the highest score in the work-life balance index, with 78.7 points out of 100. Following were Iceland and Denmark registering 76.8 and 74 respectively. The work-life balance index assigns a score to each country, evaluating the balance between work and well-being. It considers various factors and policies that influence this relationship, including statutory annual leave, minimum statutory sick pay, statutory maternity leave, minimum wage, healthcare quality, happiness index scores, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and safety standards.

Attitudes towards and knowledge about biodiversity.
Topics: awareness of the term ‘biodiversity‘; associations with the phrase ‘loss of biodiversity‘; self-rated knowledge about the loss of biodiversity; most important reasons to halt the loss of biodiversity: moral obligation, significance for well-being and quality of life, importance for the production of goods and the economy, indispensable to tackle climate change; seriousness of the decline and possible extinction of animal species, flora and fauna in the own country, in Europe, and globally; impact on the respondent; most important threats to biodiversity; prioritized measures the EU should take to protect biodiversity; awareness of the Natura 2000 network; most important roles of nature protection areas; attitude towards prioritization of nature protection areas over economic development; personal efforts to protect biodiversity.

Demography: sex; age; age at end of education; professional position; type of community.

Additionally coded was: interviewer ID; language of the interview; date of interview; time of the beginning of the interview; duration of the interview; interview mode; type of phone line; region; country; weighting factor.

This Eurobarometer survey queried respondents on standard Eurobarometer measures, such as how satisfied they were with their present life, whether they attempted to persuade others close to them to share their views on subjects they held strong opinions about, whether they discussed political matters, and what the European Union´s priorities should be.

Topics: Additional questions focused on the respondents´ knowledge of and opinions about the European Union (EU), including sources of information about the EU and whether their country had benefited from being an EU member. This round included six general topics: services of general interest, new technologies, ICT (information communication technologies), health, environment, and public safety. In addition, demographic information was obtained.

(1) The services of general interest topic included questions assessing accessibility, fairness in pricing, quality of service, clarity of information received, fairness in terms/conditions of contracts, complaints made, and customer service quality for the following services: mobile phone, fixed telephone, electricity supply, gas supply, water supply, postal services, transport services within towns/cities, and rail services between towns/cities.

(2) The new technologies topic included questions about developing technologies, and whether they would improve the quality of life in the next 20 years. New technologies listed included solar energy, computers and information technology, biotechnology, genetic engineering, telecommunications, space exploration, the Internet, nuclear energy, nanotechnology, and mobile phones. Respondents were asked to what degree they were interested in, felt informed about, or found difficult to follow or understand politics, science and technology, and health. Further questions focused on biotechnology (broadly including genetic engineering and genetically modified foods). Respondents were asked to assess as either true or false statements such as the following: bacteria exist that live on waste water, genetically modified animals are larger than ordinary ones, and criminal tendencies are genetically inherited. With regard to applications of biotechnology (for food production or therapeutic cloning), respondents were asked whether they had heard of them, to what extent they had found them useful, and to what extent they believed they were a risk, morally acceptable, or encouraged them. Respondents also rated the most important and second most important issue with regard to new technologies. Respondents were then asked whether they tended to agree or disagree with statements regarding the utility, safety, and accuracy of judgment on genetically modified foods or cloning cells. All respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statements that they would eat, buy, discuss, or support genetically modified foods, and whether they supported cloning research. Other questions probed whether different groups, such as newspapers, university scientists, government, and the European Commission, were doing a good job with regard to biotechnology. Respondents´ level of trust in various groups was also gauged, and respondents also indicated whether they had discussed or read anything regarding biotechnology. Respondents indicated whether they agreed with various statements having to do with the ethical and philosophical aspects of new technology.

(3) The ICT (information communication technologies) topic included questions regarding the use of a computer and other media devices (mobile phone, personal organizers, cable/satellite/digital TV). Respondents assessed their use of computers and the Internet to find or keep a job, communicate with family or friends, and to buy products or services. Questions related to computer training, such as the extent of training/qualifications, self-assessment of skill, and use of the Internet in daily life, were also asked.

(4) Questions about the topic of health sought to identify sources of health information, use of the Internet as a health information source, and trust in various sources such as consumer organizations, trade unions, government, and media.

(5) Questions about the environment included the extent to which respondents worried about aspects of the environment such as the ozone layer, acid rain, pollution of rivers and lakes, and waste management, and the extent to which they felt informed about these issues. Questions regarding persona...

The cities in Europe where survey respondents most commonly indicated that they were a good place to live for gay and lesbian people were Rekjavik,Valletta and Groningen in 2023. In general, the cities which ranked as the best place to live for lesbian and gay people in Europe were in Nordic countries (Norway, Iceland, Copenhagen, Sweden, Finland), western European countries (Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands), and southern European countries (Italy, Malta, Spain). The five cities with the fewest respondents indicating that they were a good place to live were all in south-eastern Europe, with the bottom two both coming from Turkey (Diyarbakir) and Albania (Tirania). Turkey tends to rank so lowly due to the influence of traditionalist and religious social norms, which do not recognize LGBTQ relationships as being on a par as heterosexual relationships and lead to more commonly held homophobic views.

Since the early 1970s the European Commission´s Standard & Special Eurobarometer are regularly monitoring the public opinion in the European Union member countries. Principal investigators are the Directorate-General Communication and on occasion other departments of the European Commission or the European Parliament. Over time, candidate and accession countries were included in the Standard Eurobarometer Series. Selected questions or modules may not have been surveyed in each sample. Please consult the basic questionnaire for more information on country filter instructions or other questionnaire routing filters. In this study the following modules are included: 1. E-Communications in the household, 2. Awareness and perception of Europeans about EU customs, 3. Europeans, Agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy.
Topics: 1. E-Communications in the household: number of mobile phone accesses in the household and of mobile phone subscriptions or pre-paid arrangements giving access to internet; TV reception via: aerial, Digital Terrestrial Television (i.e. aerial plus decoder), cable TV network (i.e. analogue), cable TV network plus decoder (i.e. digital), satellite TV via satellite dish plus decoder, telephone network plus modem and / or decoder; main considered factors when subscribing to an internet connection; frequency of the following activities: make or receive phone calls over a landline phone, make or receive phone calls over a mobile phone, send or receive SMS, use instant messaging services on the internet, make phone or video calls via internet applications, send e-mails, post content on online social media; most important services and applications in daily life; use of the following paid services on the internet to access: music, films, books or newspapers, sports events, phone calls, cloud services; number of paid internet services; subscription to a bundle consisting of: fixed line telephone, mobile phone, fixed or mobile internet access, TV channels; comparability of services and prices of current bundle with other offers; considerations to change service provider; attitude towards the same level of consumer protection concerning the use of messaging services, e-mail or phone services via the internet as with regard to traditional communication services; importance to keep fixed telephone number, mobile telephone number, or online stored content when switching communications service provider; subscription to a new, renewed or amended contract in the last three years for: fixed internet access, mobile internet access, mobile phone, fixed phone, TV, bundle; awareness of terms of contract about user rights in the last signed contract for communications services; approval of selected statements regarding the last contract on the information provided on: quality of services subscribed to, termination, duration and renewal or roll over conditions; assessment of the easiness to monitor and control consumption regarding: fixed telephone services, mobile telephone services, fixed internet access services, mobile internet access services; willingness to sign communication services contract with a duration longer than two years in exchange for higher speed and enhanced quality of service; used telephone number in an event of emergency in the own country; knowledge of the European Union-wide emergency number 112.

1. Awareness and perception of Europeans about EU customs: enumeration of activities of EU customs authorities; knowledge test on EU customs: controls passports at borders, also acts on behalf of other government agencies at EU borders, checks goods crossing borders between EU member states, obligation to pay customs duties on goods from outside the EU only once when imported into the EU; self-rated knowledge on selected aspects regarding the EU Customs Union and the activities of EU customs; prioritized activities of EU customs.

2. Europeans, Agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy: future importance of agriculture and rural areas in the EU; awareness of the support given to farmers by the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); Common Agricultural Policy benefits all EU citizens and not only farmers; preferred main objectives of EU agriculture and rural development policy; assessment of selected EU activities in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as appropriate: ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers, developing rural areas in a balanced way, ensuring reasonable food prices, guaranteeing food supply in the EU, environmental protection and tackling climate change, ensuring quality of agricultural products; main responsibilities of farmers in society; importance of each of the following CAP priorities: enhancing competitiveness and productivity of European agriculture, developing research and innovation in agriculture, investing in rural areas to stimulate economic growth and job creation, strengthening the role of farmers in the food chain,...

The most common response in the European Union among LGBTQ survey respondents when asked to rank their life satisfaction on a scale from one to ten, was to give a score of seven in 2019. This varied from countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, where the most common response was eight out of ten, to North Macedonia, where the most common response was six.

Since the early 1970s the European Commission´s Standard & Special Eurobarometer are regularly monitoring the public opinion in the European Union member countries. Principal investigators are the Directorate-General Communication and on occasion other departments of the European Commission or the European Parliament. Over time, candidate and accession countries were included in the Standard Eurobarometer Series. Selected questions or modules may not have been surveyed in each sample. Please consult the basic questionnaire for more information on country filter instructions or other questionnaire routing filters. In this study the following module is included: European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology.
Topics: most influential factors in determining the status of a country or group of countries in the world: military and defence capabilities, export of cultural works, scientific and technological advancement, economic strength, availability of natural resources, living and working conditions and well-being, social services (incl. health and welfare), environmental protection, rule of law, other; personal interest in each of the following issues: new medical discoveries, new scientific discoveries and technological developments, sports news, culture and the arts, politics, environmental problems and climate change; self-rated knowledge with regard to each of the aforementioned issues; preferred sources of information on developments in science and technology; least used source of information on developments in science and technology; best qualified actors to explain the impact of scientific and technological developments on society: scientists working at a university or government-funded research organisation, scientists working in an industrial or privately funded research organisation, journalists, politicians, consumer organisations, environmental protection associations, industry and private companies, people active on online social networks and bloggers, religious leaders or representatives, national government, military, general practitioners and specialist doctors, writers and intellectuals, family and friends, European Union, other; assessment of the influence of science and technology on society as positive; appropriate level of public involvement with regard to decisions about science and technology: public does not need to be involved, decisions should be made by experts but the public should always be informed, public should be consulted and public opinion should be seriously considered, public opinion should be main concern, other; assessment of the impact of the development of each of the following technologies on the way of life in the next 20 years as positive: solar energy, wind energy, information and communication technology, brain and cognitive enhancement, vaccines and combatting infectious diseases, biotechnology and genetic engineering, space exploration, nanotechnology, nuclear energy for energy production, artificial intelligence; most affected areas by research and innovation in the coming years: fight against climate change, environmental protection, security of citizens, job creation, energy supply, health and medical care, protection of personal data, reduction of inequalities, adaptation of society to an ageing population, availability and quality of food, transport and transport infrastructure, education and skills, quality of housing, other; approval of the following statements: respondent does not understand much about science, knowledge about science is not important in personal daily life, sufficient extent of scientists explaining their work to citizens, interest in additional information about scientific developments in public places, free online availability of publicly funded research results, young people’s interest in science is essential for future prosperity, science and technology can sort out any problem, no limits to what science is allowed to investigate, new inventions will always be found to counteract any harmful consequences of scientific and technological development; approval of the following statements about the impact of science and technology: make lives easier and healthier and more comfortable, make lives healthier, prepare younger generation to act as well-informed citizen, makes earth’s natural resources become inexhaustible, more opportunities for future generations, artificial intelligence and automation will create more jobs than they will eliminate, we depend too much on science and not enough on faith, applications of science and technology can threaten human rights, make way of life change too fast, scientists have due to their knowledge a power that makes them dangerous; attitude towards selected statements on today’s scientists: depend increasingly on money from industry and cannot be trusted no longer, do not consider problems from a wider perspective, problems are too complex for scientists to...

Finland was ranked the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report from 2024. The Nordic country scored 7.74 on a scale from 0 to 10. Two other Nordic countries, Denmark and Iceland, followed in second and third place, respectively. The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. Criticism The index has received criticism from different perspectives. Some argue that it is impossible to measure general happiness in a country. Others argue that the index places too much emphasis on material well-being as well as freedom from oppression. As a result, the Happy Planet Index was introduced, which takes life expectancy, experienced well-being, inequality of outcomes, and ecological footprint into account. Here, Costa Rica was ranked as the happiest country in the world. Afghanistan is the least happy country Nevertheless, most people agree that high levels of poverty, lack of access to food and water, as well as a prevalence of conflict are factors hindering public happiness. Hence, it comes as no surprise that Afghanistan was ranked as the least happy country in the world in 2024. The South Asian country is ridden by poverty and undernourishment, and topped the Global Terrorism Index in 2023.

In 2023, the average life expectancy of the world was 70 years for men and 75 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest.

What is life expectancy?

Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future.

Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standard continuing.

Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide

Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2021, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and South Korea, all at 84 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53 years.

This statistic displays the quality of death index scores for selected European countries in 2015. According to the results the United Kingdom ranked highest in terms of palliative and end-of-life care with a quality of death index of 93.9 points.

In the build up to the Second World War, the United States was the major power with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world. In 1938, the United States also had the highest overall GDP in the world, and by a significant margin, however differences in GDP per person were much smaller. Switzerland In terms of countries that played a notable economic role in the war, the neutral country of Switzerland had the highest GDP per capita in the world. A large part of this was due to the strength of Switzerland's financial system. Most major currencies abandoned the gold standard early in the Great Depression, however the Swiss Franc remained tied to it until late 1936. This meant that it was the most stable, freely convertible currency available as the world recovered from the Depression, and other major powers of the time sold large amounts of gold to Swiss banks in order to trade internationally. Switzerland was eventually surrounded on all sides by Axis territories and lived under the constant threat of invasion in the war's early years, however Swiss strategic military planning and economic leverage made an invasion potentially more expensive than it was worth. Switzerland maintained its neutrality throughout the war, trading with both sides, although its financial involvement in the Holocaust remains a point of controversy. Why look at GDP per capita? While overall GDP is a stronger indicator of a state's ability to fund its war effort, GDP per capita is more useful in giving context to a country's economic power in relation to its size and providing an insight into living standards and wealth distribution across societies. For example, Germany and the USSR had fairly similar GDPs in 1938, whereas Germany's per capita GDP was more than double that of the Soviet Union. Germany was much more industrialized and technologically advanced than the USSR, and its citizens generally had a greater quality of life. However these factors did not guarantee victory - the fact that the Soviet Union could better withstand the war of attrition and call upon its larger population to replenish its forces greatly contributed to its eventual victory over Germany in 1945.

Between 1950 and 1980, Sweden's public expenditures increased from 23 percent of its total gross national product* to 62 percent of GNP. Historically in Europe, a large share of public expenditure was directed towards the military, and welfare programs did exist but were given much less of a priority. Following the Second World War, however, the concept of the welfare state emerged in Western Europe (with the Nordic model becoming the most revered in the following decades), and governments began investing more in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and social securities. Not only were public funds redirected towards welfare programs in this period, but taxation was also increased to maintain this investment. Perhaps surprisingly, there was relatively little public opposition to higher taxes, which has been attributed to the rate of improvements in quality of life and the rise in disposable income in these decades.

Before the First World War, average national figures were generally between 10 and 12 percent of GNP, and this increased to somewhere between 20 and 30 percent in the 1930s. In the given countries, these figures were similar in 1950, but, as mentioned previously, much of this was due to military spending in the past, whereas the focus had shifted to welfare and reconstruction during the postwar recovery period. All countries shown were investing between 30 and 40 percent of GNP into public expenditure by 1965, but this jumped to more than 60 percent in Sweden and the Netherlands, and over 50 percent in Denmark and Belgium. Countless studies have shown links between public spending and long-term economic stability, and the Northern European countries are shown here rank among the highest when it comes to living standards, education, and happiness.

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.