La Rioja leads, together with the Basque Country, the EU social progress indicators

Something has changed in La Rioja. For the better. The community can boast of its high quality of life and, furthermore, with standards of the European Union of the 27 member states.

This is at least confirmed by the Social Progress Index (EU Social Progress Index, EU-SPI 2.0) corresponding to the year 2024, made public a few days ago by the European Commission, in which the Rioja territory obtains a score of 113.5 ( the community average starts at 100), which allows it to climb to the national top (with an overall count for the country of 103), only behind the Basque Country, with a score of 113.5; and, furthermore, placing itself in an excellent 66th position in a ranking that compiles data from the 240 regions of the EU.

The report from the community authorities, the third after those of 2020 and 2016, makes an exhaustive diagnosis of social development and quality of life at the regional level beyond the mere GDP (Gross Domestic Product) data. In fact, the index computes 53 indicators grouped into 12 sub-pillars to offer a snapshot of three key dimensions: basic needs (food, medical care, water and sanitation, housing and security), foundations of well-being (basic education, information and communications, health and environmental quality) and opportunity (where aspects such as trust in powers, governance, freedom and choice, indicators of an inclusive society and advanced education are valued).

North and south

This year’s edition of the EU-SPI reconfirms, by the European Commission’s own admission, that “social progress varies greatly between EU regions, and that the Nordic countries consistently obtain better results than the eastern and southern member states.” from the south”. In fact, the podium is occupied by three Scandinavian countries: Finland (129.6), Sweden (128.7) and Denmark (128.6). On the next step, to complete the top ten, are Holland (122), Ireland (118), Austria (11.2), Estonia (113.2), Luxembourg (112.9) and Belgium and Germany, both with 119.7. Spain remains, in fifteenth place (103.3), in the middle of a table that is followed by Romania (63.4) and Bulgaria (60.8). Equally evident is the comparison with the complete list, with a gap of 79.9 points between the region that opens it, the Finnish region of Helsinki-Uusimaa, with a score of 132.1; and the one that finishes it, the Bulgarian Severozapaden, with only 52.2.

At the domestic level, the community study aimed at evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each region also clearly draws that border between north and south. La Rioja appears solidly in the privileged bandwagon, led by the Basque Country, with 113.5. After the neighboring regional community, La Rioja, with 110.3, the only two that exceed the barrier of 110, in a ranking in which they are followed by the other eight that exceed the national average of 103.3: Galicia (109, 9), Navarra (109.5), Aragon (108.6), Asturias (107.9), Cantabria (107.8), Valencian Community (106), Madrid (105.9) and Catalonia (103.6) . Behind them, the seven that do not reach the average level, with Extremadura and Andalusia at the tail end, with a score of 97.3 and 95.6, respectively.

La Rioja, in addition, accumulates new momentum in its dizzying climb after ascending 81 steps in the last eight years. In the first report of the European Commission in 2016, with 272 regions at that time, La Rioja did not go beyond the middle of the table, 147th place; In the one from four years ago, already with 240 regional territories the same as in the current one, the community slipped into place 81 to rise today fifteen higher, to 66, where it shares benign diagnoses with the German regions of Hannover, Dresden or Leipzig; the French Brittany and Pays de la Loire; the Austrian Tyrol; or the metropolitan area of ​​Lisbon, among others.

According to the European Commission study, in the EU as a whole, approximately 60% of its citizens live in regions that exceed the average social progress score, although this rate, its authors warn, falls by ten points, to 50%, when it focuses only on basic needs, such as health care, sanitation and housing.

However, it is precisely in this chapter that La Rioja can show its chest without shame, since it exceeds the community average of 100 by 10.6 points and rises to the first national position, above the Basque Country (109.7 ) and Aragón (108.5), with an average of 100.5 in the communities as a whole, with the Canary Islands (93.3) and Andalusia (90.1) at the bottom.

This dimension of basic needs assesses various components to establish the strengths and weaknesses of each region. Despite its good national data, the pending subject of La Rioja is seen in the heading of nutrition and medical care, there it drops to thirteenth place in the domestic sphere and, with 98.6 points, it is below the state average, 101 .9 and even further away from the average score of its peer EU regions, 104.2.

The other three variables demonstrate its strength in these chapters: in water and sanitation it is first, with 112.2 points, in Spain (98.2) and exceeds the average average of its European colleagues (107.0); also in housing and decent conditions, 112.3, compared to the national average of 89.4 and its similar community average (111), and in security, although it falls to seventh place nationally with its 120.1 points, it exceeds with both the state average (113.5) and even more widely the average score of its peer regions, 97.1.

Another of the key axes of the EU Social Progress Index 2024 is the one that, under the name of foundations of well-being, analyzes the indicators that have to do with basic education and school performance; in addition to digital skills, internet access and high-speed broadband coverage; health and mortality rates or life expectancy; and environmental quality.

Fifth in the national ranking of bases of well-being, with 105 points and almost seven above the average (98.2), it is in the first chapter, that of basic education, in which La Rioja shows its main weakness, since although exceeds the state average, 75.3 compared to 71.1 for the communities as a whole, it is very far from the score of its peer community regions, 103.7. From this analysis it is deduced that it must improve its results in the proportion of students with low performance in reading, mathematics and science; in the proportion of the population that has completed only the lower secondary level or in the early school leaving rates.

The same does not happen with the other three sections. In information and communications, with a modest eighth place, it obtains a score of 114, one point above the average (113.6) and exceeds that of similar regions in the EU (109.2). In health, with 116.7 points, it climbs to third position in the state (111.7) and scores more than eight points in its interregional comparison in the European Union. The community can also boast of its qualifications in environmental quality, since its 114 points raise it to fourth place in the Spanish ranking (99 points on average) and, at the same time, distance it from the average data of the group of community regions with which the study compares to La Rioja, which includes Estonia, Brittany, Brandenburg, Midi Pyrenees, Drenthe or Upper Normandy.

It is the pillar in which the qualifications obtain not so brilliant results, but La Rioja also approves without stress the section that the European Commission baptizes as the pillar of opportunity. In it, community authorities measure indicators that have to do with trust and governance, with freedom and choice, with an inclusive society and with advanced education.

Regarding the first, confidence in the powers of the Administration among other variables, La Rioja scores 109.5, the fifth highest score in Spain (105.2 on average) and very close to the data of its European peer regions (109.6 ). In freedom and choice – which includes opinions on freedom in life choices, job opportunities and even addresses institutional corruption – La Rioja ranks seventh in Spain, with 97.7 points compared to 91.3 for the state as a whole. and the 112 from the group of similar EU regions.

One of the most worrying chapters in other places, that of the inclusive society (which tries to value tolerance towards immigrants, minorities or members of the LGTBIQ+ community or respect for women, La Rioja, fifth in the ranking, surpasses with 123 .5 points the national average (120.9) and easily that of its peer community regions, whose average is left with a score of only 108 points.

In advanced education and university training, La Rioja, below the national average, 131.1 compared to 132.9 for the State.