Speaking or thinking about sustainability, often the question will arise: How sustainable is my country? And moreover, is my country developing towards sustainability or is it developing in the opposite direction, meaning is it becoming less sustainable every year? To answer these questions one needs to measure the extent of sustainability of a country.

That requires a measuring instrument that shows the extent to which every human being

• is able to develop himself healthy and to obtain a proper education,
• lives in a clean environment,
• lives in a well-balanced and safe society,
• uses non-renewable resources in a responsible manner so that future generations are not left empty handed and
• contributes to a sustainable world.

Many sets of indicators exist already. It seems that every year more are being developed. This suggests that either not one is completely satisfying or that every set serves a more or less different purpose. We have briefly examined the most relevant indexes and sets of indicators concerning sustainability on a national level, bearing in mind the Brundtland+ definition of sustainability given above.

The overall conclusion is that none of the existing indexes completely fits our needs. That is to say not one gives a complete and good insight into all relevant aspects of sustainability in a transparent, simple and easily understandable way, showing at a glance to what extent a society is (un)sustainable. So we have to develop a new index based on a set of indicators in accordance with the definition of Brundtland+. Following the interpretation of this definition 22 indicators can be defined. These indicators can be grouped into 5 categories. In discussions with stakeholders 5 additional indicators have been identified, to address specific topics in the Romanian policy on sustainability.

1. Personal Development
1. Healthy Life
2. Sufficient Food
3. Sufficient to Drink
4. Safe Sanitation
5. Education Opportunities
6. Gender Equality


2. Clean Environment
7. Air Quality
8. Surface Water Quality
9. Land Quality


3. Well-balanced Society
10. Good Governance
11. Employment
12. Population Growth
13. Income Distribution
14. Public Debt


4. Sustainable Use of Resources
15. Waste Recycling
16. Use of Renewable Water Resources
17. Consumption of Renewable Energy


5. Sustainable World
18. Forest Area
19. Preservation of Biodiversity
20. Emission of Greenhouse Gases
21. Ecological Footprint
22. International Cooperation

Additional indicators
A1. GDP per capita
A2. Poverty Rate
A3. Research & Development
A4. Transport
A5. Organic Farming

More information can be read in the article A new comprehensive index for a sustainable society: SSI – Sustainable Society Index , by Geurt van de Kerk and Arthur Manuel.