Standard of living

Standard of living usually refers to the economic level of an individual, family, or nation.  People can measure it by the value of the goods and services produced or used by the individual, family, or nation in a period of time.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms a good standard of living as a human right with enough food, clothing, housing, social security and aid when having difficult situation, such as joblessness, illness, disability, losing one's partner, and being old. Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights affirms this as well. 

Quality of life
Some measures try to take non-material things into account when trying to understand how people live. In an Economist study in 2005 Ireland was rated highest in quality of living, while Zimbabwe was seen as having one of the worst quality of life rates in the world.

Related pages
Economic development
Human Development Index
Quality of life
Right to an adequate standard of living
Welfare

Category:Economics
Category:Human rights