IN NUMBERS: Islanders spend more on housing than most of the world

Jersey ranks among the most expensive places in the world to buy a home, according to new data – but the island also stands out internationally for its strong sense of community and high health standards.

The figures come from Jersey’s Better Life Index, which assesses how the island’s quality of life compares to other developed countries.

Housing costs

Islanders have, on average, more space than most OECD countries in their homes – but they also pay a lot more.

In Jersey, each resident occupies on average 2.1 rooms compared to 1.9 rooms in the UK and an OECD average of 1.8 rooms per person.

But islanders had some of the highest housing costs, ranking fourth for how much of their income goes towards housing.

Only New Zealand, the Slovak Republic and Czechia had higher housing costs.

A more complex calculation of housing expenditure uses rentals, maintenance and repair, utilities and furnishing costs.

In Jersey, on average, a quarter (24.5%) of household income goes towards housing, compared to less than a fifth of income on average in the OECD.

Jersey’s overall ranking for housing was 22nd out of 41 countries.

What is the Better Life Index?

The Better Life Index is compiled by the OECD, an organisation of 38 countries and several partner countries – generally developed and democratic jurisdictions.

Using measures ranging from health to housing, the index tries to rank countries’ quality of life.

Jersey is part of the OECD as a UK dependency, so it’s not ranked separately. But to help compare figures, experts at Statistics Jersey calculate the island’s scores for each indicator, allowing Jersey to be ranked as if it were an independent region.

In the overall ranking created, Jersey placed 28th out of 41 – behind France, the UK and Ireland, and right between Latvia and Lithuania.