General life satisfaction

When asked about satisfaction with life in general, in the autumn of 2024 the inhabitants of the Flemish Region of 18 years and older gave themselves an average score of 7.3 out of 10. Almost 8 out of 10 (77%) gave themselves a score of 7 or more, almost half (49%) a score of 8 or more. 5% of the inhabitants gave themselves a score lower than 5.

Compared to previous years, average general life satisfaction hardly changed. In spring 2024, the average score was also 7.3 out of 10 and there were similar shares with scores of 7 or more (80%), 8 or more (55%) and below 5 (6%). There were also no significant differences compared to previous measurements in spring and autumn 2023, spring and autumn 2022 and autumn 2021. Comparable figures on general life satisfaction for the period before 2021 are not available.

As far as background characteristics are concerned, there were no significant differences according to sex and degree of urbanisation in autumn 2024.

However, there are limited differences by age. Overall life satisfaction is higher among people over 65 than among people under 50. According to household type, average satisfaction is higher among people who live with a partner without children.

The average satisfaction score is also higher among the high-educated than among the medium- and low-educated.