Introduction Economists concentrate on measuring the gross domestic product (GDP) of a particular country as a way of evaluating the progress and appropriation of resources. However, to measure quality of life they rely on more than just the GDP indicators (Constanza, 2008). This essay seeks to explain how economists will measure quality of life and the problems they are likely to encounter. It also highlights the benefits of indicators used by economists. The essay shows that economists use a number of indicators to explain the affordability of essential services, their accessibility in society, and the satisfaction levels of the general population when accessing services and goods. Measuring quality of life using indicators As a way of measuring quality of life, economists first measure the size of an economy and then use social indicators to determine the distribution of wealth. Social indicators used by economists include life expectancy, education standards, housing standards, distribution of income in society, air pollution, congestion, and access to clean drinking water. In addition, economists will also look at social investments and present consumptions. They measure consumption by households and incomes earned by households and match them with the GDP indicator. They can come up with additional observations to influence their verdict on the quality of life. In countries with sufficient social security programs, household incomes reveal resilience against the devastating effects of recession on household incomes. Thus, the presence of social security can act as an indicator of quality of life. In theory, an increase in social security expenditure will lead to improved livelihood. Based on this understanding, economists lump quality of life indicators together in a survey and then use the descriptive results of the survey to offer an outlook of people’s lives. According to Diener, Inglehart, and Tay (2013), “life satisfaction surveys are thought to complement existing indicators by reflecting the influences of diverse facets of quality of life and allowing respondents to freely weight different aspects” (p. 498). Benefits of using quality of life indicators The indicators provide meaningful data for future planning of resource allocation in society. They allow governments to come up with policies that increase citizen engagement in the process of governance for the benefit of everyone. Through policies influenced by quality of life indicators, societies are able to preserve their environments and develop urban areas in sustainable ways that ensure there is no compromise in quality of life. Overall, indicators make wealth distribution efforts equitable because they provide different parameters for determining neediness of a community or household. As explained by Greenwood and Holt (2010), “indicators of quality of life can better equip local communities to deal with a variety of issues and to develop an economic development strategy that improves the overall standard of living” (p. 39). The use of indicators in popular quality of life surveys allows economists in different countries to have a universal basis for comparing results, even though not all indicators may be identical in different surveys