Inclusion Indicators across EU Member States

Why Inclusion Cannot Be an Afterthought

Economic growth that concentrates benefits among a narrow segment of the population does not translate into broad-based wellbeing. The WISE Horizons inclusion domain tracks seventeen indicators spanning income distribution, access to healthcare and education, housing affordability and labour market participation across different demographic groups.

Preliminary results from the 2024 data collection reveal that while headline inequality measures (e.g. Gini coefficient) have remained relatively stable across the EU-27, sub-group disaggregation exposes persistent and in some cases widening gaps — particularly along gender, age and migrant-status dimensions.

Key Quantitative Findings

• The median income gap between the top and bottom quintile widened in 9 of 15 countries studied between 2018 and 2023.
• Access to green public space remains strongly correlated with neighbourhood income level in all surveyed urban areas.
• First-generation university participation rates vary by a factor of 3.2 between the highest and lowest performing member states.