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Tag: Social Progress Index

  • Romania remains the worst place to live in the European Union

    Romania remains the worst place to live in the European Union

    Romania ranks again 45th out of 163 countries and is surpassed by all the other EU member states, according to the 2020 Social Progress Index, which analyzes the quality of life and social wellbeing and is conducted by the Social Progress Imperative with the support of Deloitte.

    Romania registers a score of 78.35 points out of 100, slightly higher than last year, which places it among the ranking’s third category countries, after Barbados, Bulgaria and Mauritius.

    In the global ranking, Romania is in the top 50 countries in two of the three analyzed categories, basic needs (45th place) and opportunities (49th place), while in the wellbeing category it ranks 57th.

    Analyzing the values assigned for each of the coordinates falling into these three categories, our country obtained the best scores for personal safety (36th place), personal rights (46th place), access to advanced education (49th place) and access to communications and information (49th place).

    On the other hand, the coordinates analyzed for Romania that recorded lower scores are inclusiveness (91st place), shelter (90th place), health and wellness (85th place).

    Norway continues to rank first in the world

    In 2020, Norway, Denmark and Finland occupy the first places in the ranking, while Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan are on the last positions.

    The EU member states, except Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, are in the first two categories of countries in the ranking, with a good quality of life.

    Among the Central and Eastern Europe countries, the best place is occupied by Slovenia (22), followed by Estonia (24), the Czech Republic (25), Poland (31), Lithuania (32), Latvia (35), Slovakia (36), Croatia (39), Hungary (40), Bulgaria (43) and Romania (45).

    Overview of index changes in the last ten years

    The global average on social progress increased from 60.63 out of 100 in 2011, to 64.24 in 2020.

    Between 2011 and 2020, 155 of the analyzed countries experienced an improvement of at least one point in the quality of life and social wellbeing, while 42% of them improved by five or more points. The United States, Brazil and Hungary are the only three countries that have seen a decline in the social progress index during this period.

    Since 2011 until now, the coordinates that have improved globally are access to information and communications, access to advanced education, shelter and water and sanitation.

    Personal rights and inclusiveness are among the indicators that have declined over the reviewed period, while personal safety and environmental quality have stagnated.

    How the Social Progress Index (SPI) is made

    The Social Progress Index (SPI) measures the quality of life and social wellbeing of citizens from 163 countries, based on the analysis of three main dimensions.

    The methodology consists of assigning a score for basic needs categoryitems – nutrition and basic medical care, water and sanitation, shelter and personal safety -, for wellbeing categoryitems- access to basic knowledge, access to information and communications, health and wellness, environmental quality – and for opportunities category – personal rights, personal freedom and choice, inclusiveness, access to advanced education. Based on the score, the countries in the ranking are grouped into six categories arranged in descending order.

  • Romania falls on the 45th place in the Social Progress Index global ranking

    Romania falls on the 45th place in the Social Progress Index global ranking

    Romania is ranked 45 out of 149 countries, being surpassed by all the other EU member states, according to the 2019 Social Progress Index, which analyzes the quality of life and social wellbeing and is conducted by the non-profit organization Social Progress Imperative with the support of Deloitte.

    Thus, Romania falls one position compared to last year’s edition and is, according to the registered score, among the countries in the third category in the ranking, after Argentina, Bulgaria and Mauritius.

    The Social Progress Index (SPI) measures the quality of life and social wellbeing of citizens from 149 countries, based on the analysis of three main dimensions.

    The methodology consists of assigning a score for basic needs category items – basic food and medical care, water and sanitation, shelter and personal safety -, for wellbeing category items- access to basic knowledge, access to communications and information, health and wellness, environment quality – and for opportunities category – personal rights, personal freedom and choice, inclusiveness, access to advanced education. Based on the score, the countries in the ranking are grouped into six categories arranged in descending order.

    “Despite the stable economic growth, among the biggest in Europe, the increasing purchasing power and the historical low of unemployment rate, Romania has registered a slight decrease in the quality of life and in social wellbeing over the last year. With modest scores for a series of chapters such as health, access to basic education, water and sanitation, it is clear that, in order to generate social progress, public resources should be redirected towards investments capable of generating economic development and betterliving standards,” said Alexandru Reff, Country Managing Partner, Deloitte Romania and Moldova.

    The analysis dedicated to Romania in the study highlights our country’s weaknesses and strengths compared to 15 other states that have a similar GDP per capita. The items that ranked lowest for Romania are water and sanitation services (83rd place), health and wellness (74th place) and access to basic education (73rd place). The items that ranked best for our country are personal safety (36th place), environmental quality (40th place), basic food and medical care (47th place), personal rights (48th place).

    Norway remains in the leading position

    • In 2019, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland occupy the first places in the ranking, while Chad, South Sudan and Central African Republic are on the last positions.
    • The EU member states, except Bulgaria and Romania, are in the first two categories of countries in the ranking, with a good quality of life.
    • Among the Central and Eastern Europe countries, the best place is occupied by Slovenia (21), followed by the Czech Republic (24), Estonia (25), Lithuania (32), Poland (33), Slovakia (35), Latvia (36), Croatia (38), Hungary (39), Bulgaria (43) and Romania (45).

    Overview of index changes in time

    137 out of the 149 countries included in the analysis experienced an improvement in the quality of life and social wellbeing during 2014-2019, although there is no unitary evolution of the 12 items assessed.

    • The global average on social progress increased from 62.16 out of 100 in 2014, to 64.47 in 2019.
    • From 2014 until now, the items that have improved globally are the access to information and communications, access to advanced education, water and sanitation, shelter, nutrition and basic medical services, environmental quality, personal freedom and choices, and health and wellness.
    • The overall level of personal rights decreased by 4.17 points over the six analyzed years, following its negative evolution in 77 countries out of the 149 in the ranking.
    • Social inclusion, access to basic knowledge and personal safety are among the most stable items.
    • The countries with the largest decline in the social progress index include the United States, Nicaragua, South Sudan and Brazil.