--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/equality-and-economic-security-take-a-hit-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-selected-oecd-countries-1980-2014/" title: "Equality and Economic Security Take a Hit: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Selected OECD Countries, 1980-2014" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T12:51:08+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T12:51:08+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "consumption" - "economic security" - "economic well-being" - "equality" - "GDP per capita" - "IEWB" - "Index of Economic Well-Being" - "Norway" - "OECD" country_focus: - "Canada" - "OECD" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Equality and Economic Security Take a Hit: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Selected OECD Countries, 1980-2014 Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/equality-and-economic-security-take-a-hit-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-selected-oecd-countries-1980-2014/ # Equality and Economic Security Take a Hit: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Selected OECD Countries, 1980-2014 [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-06-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Thomas, Jasmin, and James Uguccioni. 2016. “Equality and Economic Security Take a Hit: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Selected OECD Countries, 1980-2014.” CSLS Research Report 2016-06. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/equality-and-economic-security-take-a-hit-the-index-of-economic-well-being-for-selected-oecd-countries-1980-2014/ ## Authors: - Jasmin Thomas Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - James Uguccioni Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2016-06 June 2016 72 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Productivity Trends: A Canada-U.S. Comparison Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) January 1999 | Report 1999-01 | 6 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-a-canada-u-s-comparison/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [The Canada-U.S. Income Gap Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2000 | Report 2000-01 | 6 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-canada-u-s-income-gap/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-Being and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, and economic security) for fourteen OECD countries for the 1980-2014 period. It finds that in 2014 Norway had the highest level of economic well-being and Spain the lowest. Canada ranked eleventh among the fourteen countries. Over the 1980-2014 period, Australia enjoyed the most rapid increase in economic well-being in absolute terms, and Italy the slowest. In all fourteen countries, over the 1980-2014 period, there was growth in the consumption flows index and the stocks of wealth index. Over this same period, the economic security index and the economic equality index were largely stagnant in most countries. Most importantly, in all fourteen countries except France, the IEWB grew slower than GDP per capita, a measure that is often used to provide indications into the state of well-being in a given country. According to our estimates, economic well-being, therefore, has not advanced as rapidly as GDP per capita. Furthermore, since 2008, growth in economic well-being has been slower than growth over the 1980-2008 period for nine of the fourteen countries considered, with two countries showing negative growth (Italy and Spain). Ce rapport présente de nouvelles estimations de l’Indice de bien-être économique et de ses quatre domaines (flux de consommation, stocks de richesse, égalité économique et sécurité économique) pour quatorze pays de l’OCDE pour la période 1980-2014. Il révèle qu’en 2014, la Norvège affichait le niveau de bien-être économique le plus élevé et l’Espagne, le plus faible. Le Canada s’est classé onzième parmi les quatorze pays. Au cours de la période 1980-2014, l’Australie a connu la progression la plus rapide du bien-être économique en termes absolus, et l’Italie, la plus lente. Dans les quatorze pays, l’indice des flux de consommation et l’indice des stocks de richesse ont progressé durant cette période. Durant la même période, l’indice de sécurité économique et l’indice d’égalité économique sont demeurés largement stagnants dans la plupart des pays. Fait important, dans les quatorze pays à l’exception de la France, l’IBEE a progressé plus lentement que le PIB par habitant, une mesure souvent utilisée pour donner une indication de l’état du bien-être dans un pays donné. Selon nos estimations, le bien-être économique n’a donc pas progressé aussi rapidement que le PIB par habitant. De plus, depuis 2008, la croissance du bien-être économique a été plus lente que la croissance observée durant la période 1980-2008 pour neuf des quatorze pays considérés, deux pays affichant même une croissance négative (l’Italie et l’Espagne). [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2016-06-1.pdf)