The level of living in European Union countries in 2013-2022 by the application of taxonomic methods

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the trend and extent of changes in the level of living in EU countries in 2013-2022.Design/methodology/approach: Two examination methods were applied for the set of multidimensional objects, namely linear ordering in dynamic terms and grouping by similarity of diagnostic features.Using the linear ordering method, a synthetic variable was determined covering 7 selected indicators describing the level of living, on the basis of which the level of living in EU countries in 2013 and 2022 was compared.Groups of countries having similar values of the adopted indicators were selected on the basis of fuzzy classification, and then the trend and extent of changes in the value of those indicators in the analysed period was compared for the respective groups of countries.The research was carried out on the basis of Eurostat.Findings: The data confirms gaps in the level of living across EU countries that have persisted for years.Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands significantly outperform the other countries in terms of the level of living.The lowest level of living persists in Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania.In all the countries, the level of living indicator grew in the analysed period, but the extent of the change was uneven.Malta and Ireland, followed by Hungary, Czechia, Poland and Slovenia saw the biggest improvement in this respect. Research limitations/implications:A limitation in the research process is the lack of availability of the full database.If full data availability is obtained, research can be conducted on a wider set of diagnostic variables.Practical implications: What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified?How will the research impact upon the business or enterprise?What changes to practice should be made as a result of this research?What is the commercial or economic impact?Not all papers will have practical implications.Social implications: The European Union is made up of countries that vary greatly in terms of the level of living of their populations, and the convergence of those difference is one of the main priorities of the EU policy, which justifies the need for the research discussed in this paper.