The Financial Wellbeing Barometer
The Intrum Financial Wellbeing Barometer aims to provide a holistic perspective on how consumers across 24 European countries are managing their personal finances, ranking from 1 (top) to 24 (bottom).
We define financial wellbeing as ‘the financial security to meet everyday spending needs and be in control of one’s finances.’ The Barometer take several aspects of personal finances into consideration when calculating the wellbeing score; income level, ability to pay bills on time, debt-to-income ration, saving rates and level of financial literacy. Which countries rank highest and lowest?
This latest iteration, published March 2022, comes at a time of change and uncertainty in Europe. At the time of writing, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has very much clouded the near-term outlook of the European economy. Apart from severe social and political consequences, we can expect direct economic impact on Europe.
Key findings:
- The three DACH countries – Germany (D), Austria (A) and Switzerland (CH) – are the overall strongest performers on this year’s Barometer
- We see a modest rebound in Southern Europe, and Greeks worry about slow recovery
- As the current situation is dynamic it is difficult to predict how severe the pricing pressures and the impact on the overall economic conditions will be. Eitherway, businesses and households will need to weather yet another economic storm, and the financial situation will worsen for those who are still not fully back on their feet following the pandemic
