Belgians' level of well-being has not been this low for almost 20 years, according to the Federal Planning Bureau's annual report on sustainable development indicators on Thursday.
Using various components and indicators, such as health status, standard of living, social network, employment situation and the proportion of early school leavers, the Planning Bureau calculates a figure that measures the well-being of Belgians.
That indicator currently stands at 0.33 – the lowest level since 2005. The low figure stems from the poorer health situation, the increase in the proportion of workers with long-term disability and the fact that fewer and fewer people have the necessary financial resources to lead a 'normal lifestyle' (such as being able to afford heating or an unexpected expense) in Belgium.
"It is important that the tide turns quickly," sustainable development expert Patricia Delbaere told Belga News Agency. "The observations are not new, but unfortunately we are still not seeing enough progress."
Only 16 of 51
The study also shows that Belgium is on track to achieve less than a third of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN).
As part of the United Nation's 2030 Agenda, Belgium committed in 2015 to achieving 17 SDGs by 2030: eradicating poverty and hunger, promoting health and well-being, gender equality, and quality education, among others. Each year since then, the Planning Bureau has analysed a series of indicators grouped around these goals, in order to assess the country's progress in this area.
This year, the analysis shows that only 16 of the 51 objectives studied are likely to be achieved: water consumption, the proportion of young people in employment, and investment in research and development.
If current trends continue, however, Belgium will fail to meet 23 of the 51 targets – including reading literacy, sustainable fishing and passenger transport by car. The progress of the other 12 SDGs remains undetermined.
