standard of living

/ˈstændərd əv ˈlɪvɪŋ/

/ˈstændəd əv ˈlɪvɪŋ/

Other forms: standards of living

The extent that a group of people is able to obtain what they need to live is their standard of living. Wealthy countries tend to have a higher standard of living than poorer ones.

The phrase standard of living is often used to compare different regions of the world, and it almost always focuses on economics. The more money that's available to a country, socioeconomic group, or individual family, the higher their standard of living. Social scientists measure things like income, the availability of health care, life expectancy, and the poverty rate to calculate a group's standard of living.

Definitions of standard of living

1. noun

   a level of material comfort in terms of goods and services available to someone or some group
   “they enjoyed the highest standard of living in the country”

   “the lower the standard of living the easier it is to introduce an autocratic production system”

   synonyms: standard of life

   type of:

   degree, level, point, stage

   a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process