Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, Vol 12, No 4 (2016)

Abstract

It is very interesting to find the country which is able to offer the best quality of life to its inhabitants. The paper is focused on quantifying and analyzing the quality of life in the EU in the context of the latest global changes. Two scientific approaches are used in the paper: the classical one, which is based on the better index of life and a step by step analysis of the different statistical indicators able to quantify the quality of life. A distinct part of the paper covers the analysis of the quality of life by degree of urbanization at regional level. The analysis in the paper covers comparative analysis and cluster analysis, in order to point out the disparities between EU28 and Euro area on one hand and between Member States, on the other hand. The paper proposes a more scientifically approach by using a set of connected statistical variables able to express the quality of life. The differences between the Member States lead to building separate clusters for each indicator. The main conclusion of the paper is that EU28 faces to high disparities related to the quality of life which can be analysed and solved only under a three clusters approach. The whole analysis and the conclusions of the papers are supported by the latest official statistical data and pertinent diagrams.