WIFO Living Situation Index

The "Living Situation Index" provides an insight into the material living conditions of the population and thus allows conclusions to be drawn about the living situation in each of the 2,115 municipalities (territorial status 2023) in Austria by consolidating factors that influence living conditions, such as income, employment intensity, age, and qualification, into an index number. The Living Situation Index highlights the different living conditions between urban and rural regions, as well as densely and sparsely populated areas, and within rural regions, as demonstrated by the contrast between peripheral rural areas and central rural areas surrounding urban centers. The update for 2023 reflects the situation before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. In 2019, WIFO developed this index for the years 2010 onwards as part of the evaluation of the Austrian Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020 (LE 14-20). Since then, it has been updated regularly.