Elderly Romanians are not as happy as the average Europeans aged 75 and over, but are more satisfied with their lives than most of their neighbors.

Romania ranks 21st of 33 European countries for the overall satisfaction of its elders, which stands at 6.2 (on a scale from 0 to 10). The EU average is 6.8, according to the European Statistics Institute Eurostat, which published several statistics for the International Day of Older Persons, which was celebrated on October 1.

Among the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, Romania ranks fourth, behind Poland (6.9), Czech Republic (6.5), and Slovenia (6.4). However, it ranks before Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, and the Baltics, and even before Portugal and Greece.

Bulgarian elders are the most miserable in Europe, with an overall satisfaction level of 3.8.

On the other hand, elderly people from the Nordic countries and Switzerland are the happiest in Europe. Denmark leads the ranking, with an overall satisfaction level of 8.4, Switzerland comes second, with a similar level, and Sweden and Iceland share the third spot, with 8.1.

The overall satisfaction level is calculated based on several indicators, such as satisfaction with financial situation, personal relationships, time use, accommodation, and living environment.

The financial situation is the biggest problem for the majority of European elderly, as the average financial satisfaction level among EU pensioners is only 6.3. Bulgarians are the least satisfied with their financial, with a level of 3.2, while for Romanians the level is 5.7.

The surveys for these statistics were made in 2013.

EY study: Over a third of Romanian elderly face poverty risk

editor@romania-insider.com