The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) published guidelines on how to measure well-being beyond traditional economic measures such as gross domestic product (GDP). The guidelines offer recommendations on how to define well-being dimensions, select and compile statistical indicators, identify relevant data sources, and communicate results effectively to the public.

UNECE’s ‘Guidelines on Measurement of Well-being’ respond to the growing international consensus on the need to place people’s lived experiences at the center of development and policymaking and build on leading international frameworks and reports, including the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi report on measurement of economic performance and social progress, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Well-being and Progress Framework, Eurostat’s Quality of Life Indicators, and the SDGs.

While the Guidelines focus on measuring the well-being of the present generation (“here and now”), they acknowledge broader dimensions, such as well-being “elsewhere” (the well-being of people living in other countries) and “later” (the well-being of future generations). According to a UNECE press release, this approach accounts for possible transboundary impacts of development “by highlighting how a country’s pursuit of well-being for its citizens may affect the well-being of people in other countries.”

The Guidelines outline ten key dimensions of well-being: subjective well-being; material living conditions; work and leisure; housing; health; knowledge and skills; physical safety; social connections; civic engagement; and environmental conditions. The report suggests indicators for each of these dimensions that countries can adapt to their national contexts.

The Guidelines offer advice on compiling and communicating well-being indicators and on developing a national framework for well-being statistics. Drawing on case studies of relevant well-being measures from Canada, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, and the UK, among others, the report highlights practices and challenges and offers advice for tailoring metrics to specific national contexts. 

Detailed, easy-to-follow guidance for each indicator, including definitions, data sources, and the international frameworks they build on, can be found in an annex to the report. 

Developed by the UNECE Task Force on measuring well-being under the Conference of European Statisticians, the Guidelines were released in September 2025.

UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America (Canada and the US), and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and Western Asia (Israel). [Publication: Guidelines on Measurement of Well-being] [Online Report] [Publication Landing Page]