The NWI is a welfare measure that consists of 20 different economic, ecological and social components that are valued and added up in monetary terms. The NWI’s development can be compared to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is usually taken as a measure of society’s welfare. Meanwhile the NWI also exists for several federal states:  Schleswig Holstein, Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxonia, Hamburg, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.  more

  • Gini-Index
  • welfare-reducing
  • welfare enhancing
Component 1

Index of Income distribution

Value in 2015: 113.9

Component 2

Weighted private consumption expenditure

Value in 2015: 1262 billion Euro

Component 3

Value of Household Work

Value in 2015: 635 billion Euro

Component 4

Value of voluntary work

Value in 2015: 60 billion Euro

Component 5

Non-defensive public expenditures on health and education

Value in 2015: 65 billion Euro

Component 6

Net value of the costs and benefits of consumer durables

Value in 2015: -12 billion Euro

Component 7

Costs of travels between home and workplace

Value in 2015: 45.7 billion Euro

Component 8

Costs of traffic accidents

Value in 2015: 32 billion Euro

Component 9

Costs of Crime

Value in 2015: 6.5 billion Euro

Component 10

Costs of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse

Value in 2015: 68 billion Euro

Component 11

Social expenditure to compensate for negative environmental impacts (costs of avoidance and repair)

Value in 2015: 35.8 billion Euro

Component 12

Damage costs of water pollution

Value in 2015: 0.6 billion Euro

Component 13

Damage costs of soil degradation

Value in 2015: 1.1 billion Euro

Component 14

Damage costs of air pollution

Value in 2015: 54 billion Euro

Component 15

Damage costs of noise

Value in 2015: 7.9 billion Euro

Component 16

Value of increase/loss of ecosystems

Value in 2015: 0.4 billion Euro

Component 17

Value of increase/loss of agricultural areas

Value in 2015: -0.5 billion Euro

Component 18

Replacement costs due to the consumption of non-renewable energy resources

Value in 2015: 196 billion Euro

Component 19

Damage costs of GHG emissions

Value in 2015: 72.2 billion Euro

Component 20

Costs of the use of nuclear energy

Value in 2015: 11.4 billion Euro