Belgians happier than average Europeans

As economic and social indicators such as gross domestic product alone don’t suffice to show how well (or badly) people are doing, Eurostat decided to, for the first time, combine objective statistical data with citizens’ subjective interpretations of their quality of life. Walter Radermacher of Eurostat told the press agency Belga that the aim is “to shed light on what factors have an impact on quality of life”.

With a general satisfaction level of 7.6, Belgians are among the happiest people in the EU. The Danes, Finns and Swedes (8.0 out of 10) top the list, followed by the Dutch and the Austrians (7.8 out of 10).

In almost all EU countries people were most satisfied of all with their personal relationships. However, this was not the case among Belgian. Here people were most satisfied with their accommodation (7.8 out of 10), followed by their relationships.

Belgian gives a 6.9 out of 10 rating for their financial situation. Despite this being the aspect of their lives they are the least happy with, the satisfaction rating of 6.9 out of 10 is still well above the European average of 6.0 out of 10.