Eurostat has released a new Life Satisfaction Index for countries within the European Union.
In compiling the index, analysts examined all EU countries based on nine criteria: income, social satisfaction, leisure, quality of life, safety, environmental quality, and others. The index is based on data obtained in 2022.
The European Commission has released a report that details the residents’ levels of satisfaction with living in their city.
According to the research, Austria claimed the top spot with a score of 7.9 out of 10. Three countries—Poland, Romania, and Finland—shared the second position with a score of 7.7. Bulgaria recorded the lowest score at 5.6.
Ranking of the happiest EU countries:
- Austria – 7.9
- Poland, Romania, Finland – 7.7
- Belgium, Netherlands – 7.6
- Denmark, Slovenia – 7.5
- Czech Republic, Ireland, Malta, Sweden – 7.4
- Estonia, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg – 7.2
- Spain, Lithuania – 7.1
- France, Portugal, Slovakia – 7.0
- Hungary – 6.9
- Croatia, Latvia – 6.8<
The full list can be viewed here.
Overall, in 2022, Europeans rated their life satisfaction at an average of 7.1 points. Experts claim that life satisfaction is strongly correlated with the level of education, which, to some extent, also reflects the income level. In each EU member state, life satisfaction increased in parallel with the level of education.