Human wellbeing can be measured through quantitative and qualitative indicators. Quantitative indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and literacy rates provide objective data on factors like health and education. Qualitative indicators rely on subjective surveys to measure happiness, job satisfaction, and social relationships. Together these indicators give an overall view of a population's wellbeing. Wellbeing varies globally and is determined by access to necessities as well as wealth, which influences factors like healthcare, sanitation, and education. Measuring these indicators on local, national, and global scales can help governments and organizations assess and improve populations' quality of life.

1. MEASURIN
G AND
MAPPING
HUMAN
WELLBEIN
G
Unit 6.3

2. 1. Define and describe human wellbeing
2. Compare and contrast qualitative vs
quantitative measures
3. List and explain indicators and
measurements of human wellbeing

3. FOCUS QUESTION
What is human wellbeing and how can it be measured?
What factors affect human wellbeing?

4.  Defined as overall health and
quality of life of a group of people. It
varies significantly depending on
the place and population.
 In the poorest countries, wellbeing
involves access to basic needs such
as clean water, food, shelter,
clothing and safety.
 In wealthier regions, health,
income, education and happiness
are more common measures.

5.  The measurement of wellbeing can
be approached on many different
scales:
- Globally countries can be compared,
and trends can measure change and
development of different regions.
- On a national scales, there is often a
stark contrast between rural and
urban areas, presenting difficult
management challenges for
governments.
- On a local scale, the wellbeing of
people can vary based on factors
such as employment, wealth,
housing, education.

6.  There is no single measure, instead
comparisons of wellbeing involves a
variety of indicators. When combined,
these indicators give an overall view of a
population’s wellbeing.
 Some of these indicators such as infant
mortality rate are objective and
quantitative – meaning they can be
accurately recorded and measured.
 Some indicators are qualitative –
meaning they are subjective and often
based on surveys and interviews. This
data is influenced by a person’s
environment, experiences and
preferences. These indicators are less
consistent.

7. SANITATION
 Sanitation refers to the provision of facilities and services
for the safe management and movement of human excreta
– in other words – clean and safe toilets.
 Approximately 2 billion people live without adequate
sanitation like a toilet. Almost all North Americans,
Europeans and Australians have access compared to 30
percent of Central and South Asians.
 Lack of sanitation leads to the spread of infectious diseases
such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and can be especially
dangerous if human waste contaminates water supplies.
 Half a million children die from diarrhoea, which causes
dehydration and malnutrition. A lack of sanitation also
drastically reduces school attendance, leading in a
reduction in the literacy rate.

8.  Wealth is a common measure of wellbeing. Wealth
provides access to life’s necessities and opportunities –
regions with greater wealth have more access to
sanitation, education and higher life expectancy.
 A common way of measuring and comparing wealth
between countries is GDP and GDP per capita.
 Absolute wealth of an individual refers to wealth
compared to a nation’s poverty level. Relative wealth is
how a person’s wealth compares to friends, family,
colleagues or others in their suburb or region.
 Another consideration is the cost of living of a place
compared to the average income. Cost of living is the
amount of money needed to afford things such as
housing, food, clothing and health care. A higher
average income of one country does not always mean a
higher standard of living if the cost of living in that
country or region is high.

9.  IMR is a measure of the number of children who die
under one year of age for every 1000 children born.
If 1000 children are born in a country and 8 die,
than a country’s IMR is eight.
 The causes of infant mortality vary significantly
around the world, the most common causes being
diarrhoea, blood infections, premature birth, flu,
pneumonia and a lack of oxygen to a baby during
birth.
 Modern technology and better access to healthcare
and education have led to big reductions in global
IMR. Globally levels have dropped from 65 per
1000 to 29. This reduction has not occurred evenly
however, for example in Afghanistan a lack of
medical facilities in rural areas without doctors has
led to an IMR of 110 compared to 2 for Japan.

10.  The TFR is the total number of children
expected to be born to a woman in her
lifetime if she lives to the end of her
childbearing years. In 2018, the TFR in
Australia was 1.77 babies per woman – an
average of 1 to 2 children for each woman.
The TFR of Nigeria was 6.49.
 Globally, the TFR has fallen from 5 in the
1960s to 2.42 in 2018. Greater access to
family planning services, better health
care, higher life expectancy and greater
career opportunities for women have led
to this decline.

11.  The ALR refers to the proportion of adults who can
read and write. This is an important indicator of
wellbeing as literacy improves a person’s
employment and earning potential. It can also
measure a population’s overall level of education.
 The ALR has risen from just 12 percent to 86 percent
globally. However there is a large variation between
regions today from 99% to just 61% in some
countries.
 Literacy is important to understand and use
information in ways that promote and maintain
health. Women as well as the elderly, ethnic
minorities and low-income earners have lower levels
of health literacy in poor countries. This leads to
higher hospitalisations and overall higher
government costs.

12.  The ability of a population to treat and control the spread of
disease and to provide appropriate care is an important
indicator of wellbeing. There are many preventable and
treatable diseases that occur predominantly in poorer regions.
 For example, Malaria is a deadly disease carried by mosquitos
that was responsible for 435 000 deaths in 2017, much of it
occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
 Another factor determining health wellbeing is access to
doctors and nurses. The global average is 1.5 physicians per
1000 people, with a rate of 3.4 in Australia but just 0.01 in
Liberia.
 Cardiovascular disease including heart attack and stroke is
one of the leading causes of death globally. Many causes are
preventable such as tobacco and alcohol use and too much
junk food. A lack of health care services that offer early
detection and treatment in poorer countries has lead to many
more deaths than necessary.
Tea plantation on mountain slopes

13.  Life expectancy refers to how long a person can expect
to live. It is calculate based on the average age that
members of a particular population are when they die.
Life expectancy varies between countries and also
within countries – especially between rural and urban
areas.
 Countries with a high life expectancy usually have
universal access to sanitation, medical facilities, food
security and education, and enough wealth to continue
to provide these things.
 Life expectancy has risen across the world greatly over
the last 100 years. However there are significant gaps
between regions such as Europe and sub-Saharan
Africa. In 2019 France had a life expectancy of 82.9
whilst Nigeria it is only 54.5
 Biologically women live longer than males, males also
tend to have higher rates of tobacco and alcohol use
that lower life expectancy.

14.  Happiness is one of the most important indicators of
wellbeing, but is one of the most difficult to measure.
 People are able to adapt to difficult conditions, which
means that people who are poor or sick are not
necessarily the least happy people in the world.
 The UN World Happiness Report ranks countries by
their happiness – the criteria includes GDP per capita,
social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity and
perceptions of corruption. Northern Europe ranked on
top.
 Environment conservation, good governance,
sustainable development and the preservation and
promotion of culture are also ways of measuring
happiness.

15.  Job satisfaction
 Political Voice
 Social Connections and relationships
 Climate, green space and air quality
 Work-life balance
 Personal security and safety.

16. CLASS
DISCUSSI
ON
 What do you think are the top 3 most important
wellbeing indicators?
 ‘Education is the fundamental key to providing
improvement in wellbeing’. To what extent do
you agree or disagree with this statement?

17. End of Section Review 6.3 page 190
Activity 6.8 page 186