First released in 2011, the Better Life Index aims to measure the well-being of nations in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). This year's index has come out to point out the shortcomings and strengths of South Korean society today.
One of the most alarming statistics from this index come from the country's rankings of reliance on others. According to the Better Life Index 2015, South Korea ranks last amongst 36 OECD nations in terms of the number of people who say they have a shoulder to lean on during trying times. This could prove to be a problem for those who struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation and require outside help, such as aid and attention from family, friends, and psychiatric resources.
Korea also failed to perform well in gender equality, especially in personal earnings (36th), time devoted to personal and leisure activities (25th), as well as overall life satisfaction (29th), pointing out the problems that South Korea needs to address in an effective manner.
The areas where Korea ranked strongly were educational attainment (16th), voter turnout (12th), and life expectancy (14th).
According to these results, South Koreans' well-being is slightly less than the OECD's average. Overall, Korea ranked 27th out of 36 nations.
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