Grouping OECD Countries According to Better Life Index Indicators by Multidimensional Scaling Analysis

The aim of this study is to group OECD countries using the better life index indicators through multidimensional scaling analysis. The Better Life Index consists of thirty-three variables under the dimensions of material living conditions (income and wealth, work and earnings, housing conditions) and quality of life (health status, work-life balance, education and skills, social connections, civic engagement and governance, environmental quality, personal safety and life satisfaction). These thirty-three indicators constitute the variables of the multidimensional scaling analysis. As a result of the analysis, the positions of countries in two-dimensional space were obtained and it was observed that some countries formed distinct clusters. In this way, OECD countries are compared not on the basis of a selected indicator, but on the basis of an approach that encompasses all the indicators of the Better Life Index.