Quality of Life and GDP

Measuring Quality of Life

• Quality of life can be measured in terms of money because it's an output of our resources.

GDP and Perspectives on Quality of Life

• GDP figures for North American countries:
  • Canada: 2,160,000,000,000.00 (2.16 trillion).
  • USA: 25,000,000,000,000.00 (25 trillion).
  • Mexico: 1,400,000,000,000.00 (1.4 trillion).
• Citizens of countries with higher GDPs might perceive their quality of life as superior.
• In countries with high GDP like the USA, quality of life might be strongly associated with material possessions and consumerism.

Subjectivity of Quality of Life

• Quality of life is subjective.
• GDP serves as an indicator of a country's wealth.
• Higher GDP often correlates with more available resources and higher per capita income.
• This can alleviate stress related to affording necessities like housing and food.

Canadian Indicators of Quality of Life

• Canada uses 84 indicators to measure quality of life.
• These indicators are divided into five categories:
  • Prosperity.
  • Health.
  • Society.
  • Environment.
  • Good Governance.