OECD: Safety High, Incomes not so

30. 05. 2011

OECD: Safety High, Incomes not so


Using the better life index, which is interactive and surpasses exclusively economic aspects, citizens of 34 OECD member states can compare the standard of living in their country to the others.

The index comprises 11 dimensions the OECD has identified as essential in measuring the quality of life: housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance.

The countries ranking highest are Australia, Canada and Sweden, according to the index, while the quality of life among OECD members is lowest in Turkey, Mexico and Chile.

 

 

Slovenia ranks high in safety, governance and work-life balance, but has relatively poor performance in life satisfaction, environment and income.

Life expectancy at birth in Slovenia is slightly below the OECD average of 79 years, however only 59% of respondents in Slovenia reported to be in good health, the average standing at 69%.

In recent polling, 39% of Slovenians were satisfied with their life and 48% believe that their life will be satisfying five years later. These figures are very low compared to the OECD average of 63% and 71%, respectively.

Slovenia's best field is safety, where the country ranked 9th. With the homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, the country ranks second only to Iceland and is equal to Australia and Japan. Assault rate over the last year was meanwhile close to the OECD average.

 

Although Slovenia ranks 29th in the average number of rooms per person in a home with 1.1 (the OECD average is 1.6), which may indicate crowded conditions, only 0.6% of dwellings in Slovenia lack private access to indoor flushing toilets, much less than the OECD average of 2.8%.

While 66% of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 has a paid job, close to the OECD average, the percentage of the labour force that has been unemployed for a year or longer is currently at 3.21%, which is slightly above average.

 

 

Nevertheless, the average household disposable income in Slovenia is US$19,891 a year, lower than the OECD average of US$22,284, and the average household wealth in Slovenia is estimated at US$20,188, much lower than the OECD average of US$36,808.

In Slovenia, 82% of adults aged 25-64 have finished secondary school (the OECD average is 73%) and the figure stands at 92% among 25-34-year-olds, also much higher than the OECD average of 80%.

However, the average student in Slovenia scored 483 out of 600 in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) reading literacy, lower than the OECD average of 493.

 

Fifty-one percent of the people in Slovenia say they trust their political institutions (the OECD average is 56%) and the last election turnout was 63% (the OECD average is 72%), but the country ranks 7th in accessibility of information about rights and transparency of institutions.

 

SOURCE: The Slovenia Times

paris