OECD better life index: Averagely speaking, can you live a good life in Spain?

Life quality is an abstract concept that has many definitions. OECD came up with an OECD better life index to measure the quality of life in OECD countries. Spain performs quite well in some Index measures, such as work-life balance, safety, health, and social connections. In this article, we will explain the key findings and explain why Spain is a good choice for good life quality. Click HERE to look at the better life index of Spain on the OECD website.

1. Work-life balance

2. Safety

3. Health

4. Community and social connections

1. Work-life balance

Having a comfortable balance between work and life is a challenge for most working professionals. This highly impacts the mental and physical well-being of a worker. One of the important evaluation standards is the amount of time people spend at work. The more people work, the less time they will devote to family, leisure activities, and rest.

In Spain, 4% of the employees work very long hours, much less than the OECD average of 11%. In Spain, full-time workers on average devote 66% of their daily time (about 15.9 hours) to personal care and leisure activities. Compared with living in other OECD countries, you might expect an averagely more balanced life living in Spain.

2. Safety

Safety is another important factor that influences people’s daily life. In Spain, 82% of people say that they feel safe walking alone at night, way higher than the OECD average of 68%. That’s probably one of the reasons why the nightlife in Spain is very famous and people feel safe going out at night.

Apart from feelings about safety, the homicide rate (the number of murders per 100 000 inhabitants) in Spain is about 0.6, way lower than the OECD average of 3.7. This is a better index to predict the safety of the country.

3. Health

72% of people living in Spain reported being in good health, more than the OECD average of 69%. Spain enjoys one of the highest life expectancies among OECD countries, at about 83 years on average. This is related to better medical care, better doctors, and the implementation of medical technologies, living standards, and lifestyle.

In Spain, high-quality private health care is another reason why Spanish healthcare is perceived as one of the best. Here, we offer the best-rated Spanish private health insurance, aiming to protect your health fully.  

4. Community and social connections

Humans are social creatures. A healthy and supportive social environment can give people emotional support to live through hard times. Spain is a country famous for its warm and friendly people. If you ever come to this beautiful country, you might be amazed at the smile on the face of a stranger, or the hand they lend to you when you are in need. According to OECD, 93% of people who live in Spain believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of need, better than the OECD average of 89%.

Spain is not a perfect country, but it outperforms some of the indicators that are important to people’s lives. If you want to live a high-quality and decent life, Spain might be a good choice.

If you like to know more about living in Spain, click one of these blogs below: 

• The best places to live in Spain for Expats with different needs
• Curious facts you need to know before moving to Spain
• Cost of living: Is it cheap to live in Spain?
• Reside in Spain: live a unique Mediterranean life

Reference:

OECD Better Life Index. (2021). Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/spain/