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 Quality of Life
in the Basque Country
Photography:
© Mikel Arrazola
© Martin Presumido Szymczak
 Index

1 Introduction 4
2 Human Development Index (HDI) 5
2.1 HDI: Health sub-index 6
2.2 HDI: Knowledge sub-index 8
2.3 HDI: Standard of living sub-index 10
3 Other indicators: Public safety 12
4 The Basque Country at a glance 14
4.1 A modern, strategically-located region 14
4.2 Health system 18
4.3 Scientific environment 19
4.4 Schooling and education 22
4.5 Nature and the environment 24
4.6 Culture, leisure and sports 26
5 Conclusions 31
6 Useful links 32
Sources 33

Table 1. Basic indicators of the Human Development Index. 5

Table 2. Causes of Death by region.
Crude death rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) in 2006. 7
Table 3. Educational levels of the labour force. 9
Table 4. Crime Rate in the European Union (per 1000 people). 13

Figure 1. Human Development Index (HDI). 5

Figure 2. Life Expectancy at Birth. 6
Figure 3. Victims in road accidents: deaths per million inhabitants 2006. 8
Figure 4. Education Index. 8
Figure 5. Population with tertiary education. 9
Figure 6. GDP per capita (PPP US$) 10
Figure 7. GDP per capita (USD/Population) in the European regions. 10
Figure 8. GDP yearly growth in the European regions. 1995-2005. 11
Figure 9. Employment rates in the European regions. 11
Figure 10. Unemployment rates in the European regions. 11
Figure 11. Productivity per worker in Europe (EU 27 average=100). 11
Figure 12. Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population. 12
Figure 13. Regional crime against the property: Europe 13
 1. Introduction
“Quality of life” is a broad concept used to measure the
well-being of a society using a number of different
indicators. The fundamental aim of this study is to provide
information on some of these indicators with reference
to the Basque Country and to give an idea of the wide
range of opportunities offered by this territory.
Quality of life in Spain has improved greatly over recent
years, with huge increases in its economic and social
indicators.
The Basque Country, which stradles the border between
France and the rest of Spanish territory, is known as one
of the wealthiest autonomous regions in the country and
is famous for its important R&D achievements, high
productivity, the important developments in its educational
system, high GDP per capita, high quality health care, and
its extensive offer of leisure and sport activities.
SPAIN
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Introduction
Being considerably different from other Spanish regions,
the Basque Country's high quality of life and social
connectedness are highly appreciated and make it an
attractive place to live and work.
The following document analyses different social and
economic indicators in order to compare the quality of life
in the Basque Country with other developed countries.
Section 2 describes the Human Development Index and
its components and compares this with other European
countries and regions. Section 3 sets out the public safety
indicators, and section 4 describes several aspects of the
daily life in the Basque Country. Finally, section 5 contains
a number of concluding remarks.
BASQUE COUNTRY
 2. Human Development Index (HDI)

In order to measure the level of world development, the
United Nations’ global development programme (UNDP)
created the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite
indicator that measures a country’s or region’s average
achievements in basic aspects of human development.
UNDP publishes an annual comparative study of nearly
180 countries, measuring social and economic wellbeing
of the population, evaluating quality-of-life levels using
non-market activities. Using the same methodology,
EUSTAT (Basque Statistics Institute) calculates the HDI
and sub-indices for the Basque Country.
The HDI is made up of three basic indicators: health (life
expectancy at birth), knowledge (adult literacy rate, gross
enrolment ratio), and standard of living (GDP per capita).
According to the 2007 human development classification,
the Basque Country is among the most developed countries
in the world (Figure 1) [1]. It ranks second in the European
HDI classification behind Norway, with only 0.004 points
of difference. The region's indicator, 0.964, exceeds those
of such high-ranking countries as Sweden, France or the
UK (0.956, 0.952 and 0.946 respectively).
The Basque Country has made considerable efforts to
increase the quality of life of the population over the last
few years: the HDI rose from 0.940 in 2001 (below Norway,
Luxemburg, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Finland, and Denmark) to 0.964 in 2007, with
notable progress in all its components.
Figure 1. Human Development Index (HDI)
Consistently good results in the three areas covered by
the Human Development Index have led to the region's
high position among developed countries.
As can be seen in Table 1, life expectancy at birth in the
Basque Country is one of the highest in Europe, standing
at 80.8 years, bettered only by Switzerland with 81.3 years.
The longevity indexes of the Basque Country come close
to Iceland (81.5) and Australia (80.9), although all of them
are below Japan, which has the highest index in the world
with 82.3 years.
The high education levels measured in terms of adult
literacy and combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross
enrolment ratio, place the Basque education index ahead
of many developed countries, falling just short of an index
of 1.
The Basque Country is also among the countries with the
highest GDP per capita in Europe: measured in purchasing
5
power parity US dollars (PPP US $) the Basque GDP per
inhabitant amounts to 34,026 US $ per year, being above
the GDP per capita of the UK (33,238 US$), Finland (32,153
US $), or Germany (29,461 US $). The most advanced
country in terms of GDP per capita is Luxembourg (60,228
US $), which doubles the results of all European countries.
Table 1. Human Development Index basic indicators

Life expectancy Education Per Capita

Norway
at birth index GDP PPP (US$)
Basque Country
Ireland Basque Country 80.80 0.988 34,026
Sweden
Switzerland
Switzerland 81.30 0.,946 35,633
Netherlands Spain 80.50 0.987 27,169
France Sweden 80.50 0.978 32,525
Finland
Italy 80.30 0.958 28,529
Spain
Denmark France 80.20 0.982 30,386
Austria Norway 79.80 0.991 41,420
UK
Austria 79.40 0.966 33,700
Belgium
Luxembourg Netherlands 79.20 0.988 32,684
Italy Germany 79.10 0.953 29,461
Germany
United Kingdom 79.00 0.970 33,238
Greece
Finland 78.90 0.993 32,153
0.900 0.910 0.920 0.930 0.940 0.950 0.960 0.970 Grecee 78.90 0.970 23,381
Belgium 78.80 0.977 32,119
Source: Data for selected countries from UNDP report 2007
(data corresponds to year 2005) Ireland 78.40 0.993 38,505
Data for the Basque Country from Eustat 2007 (data corresponds to year 2005). Luxembourg 78.40 0.942 60,228
Denmark 77.90 0.993 33,973
[1] In order to make meaningful international comparisons and
Source: Data for selected countries from UNDP report 2007
due to data availability, the Basque Country will be referred (data corresponds to year 2005.)
indistinctly as a country or a region in what follows. Data for the Basque Country from EUSTAT 2007 (data corresponds to year 2005).

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 In the following subsections the three sub-indices are Life expectancy at birth in the Basque Country is 80.8
analysed in more detail. years (Figure 2), the sixth highest rate in the world.
Switzerland, which, traditionally, is the country with the
highest life expectancy indicator, is only 0.5 years ahead.
2.1. HDI: Health sub-index Other developed countries famous for their high quality of
life have a lower longevity rate. According to the table,
Sweden (80.5), Italy (80.3) and France (80.2) have life
expectancy rates below that of the Basque Country.
The health indicator determines the quality of life of a
country and is a primary condition for developing a welfare According to the Basque Statistics Institute (EUSTAT), life
state. The health sub-index is measured by life expectancy expectancy at birth has increased progressively over the
at birth as an indicator of the health and longevity of the last ten years. Thus, in 1995, Basque longevity was 76.1
population. years (72.4 years for men and 79.7 years for women)
In many developed countries access to preventive health compared to 80.8 years in 2005, showing an increase in
care is an essential right, which makes European longevity life expectancy at birth of 4.7 years.
one of the highest in the world. There are several reasons that explain such a high index.
First, the Basque Country has one of the lowest death
Figure 2. Life expectancy at birth rates in the European Union, so the region's crude death
rate per 100,000 inhabitants is 873.5, below the 941.4 rate
for EU15.
Switzerland
Basque Country
Table 2 shows death rates due to the 22 main causes by
Spain
Sweden region per 100,000 inhabitants in 2006. These show that
Italy
neoplasm and diseases of the circulatory system are the
France
Norway most common causes of death in all European countries.
6
Austria
Death rates in the Basque Country due to diseases of the
Netherlands
Germany circulatory system and provoked by external causes
UK
(including transport accidents, suicide or intentional self-
Finland
Greece harm, and homicide or assault) are especially low. Compared
Belgium
Luxembourg
to EU15, the Basque Country has lower death rates due
Ireland to alcohol abuse, diseases of the circulatory system, injury
Denmark
and poisoning, transport accidents, suicide and intentional
77 78 79 80 81 82
self-harm, homicide and assaults.
Source: Data for selected countries from UNDP report 2007
(data corresponds to year 2005.)
Data for the Basque Country from EUSTAT 2007 (data corresponds to year 2005).

Doña Casilda park (Bilbao)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 Table 2. Causes of death by region. Crude death rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) in 2006.

Basque
Country Finland France Germany Ireland Italy Nether. Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzer. EU15 EU25 EU27

Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99) 18.5 6.4 16.3 15.0 3.8 12.5 11.8 15.9 23.8 16.3 15.3 8.3 13.3 12.2 12.1

Neoplasms (C00-D48) 263.4 209.8 249.8 263.5 187.0 286.2 248.2 229.4 214.1 230.5 251.3 216.0 255.4 255.8 253.5

Deseases of the blood, immunological disorders (D50-D89) 3.0 1.1 3.5 2.5 2.0 4.4 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.2 2.8 2.6 2.5

Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90) 25.1 11.2 30.8 32.3 16.7 40.0 26.0 24.5 42.7 26.1 26.6 22.1 29.5 27.8 27.1

Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-F99) 39.0 51.0 26.6 17.2 13.8 15.1 42.7 34.5 3.7 27.4 51.5 37.4 23.5 20.8 19.7

Alcoholic abuse (including alcoholic psychosis) (F10) 0.4 3.4 4.9 5.6 2.0 0.4 1.2 4.0 0.9 0.7 3.2 2.2 2.9 3.0 3.0

Drug dependence, toxicomania (F11-F16, F18-F19) - 0.1 0.3 0.8 2.1 0.7 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6

Diseases of the nervous system and the sense organs (G00-H95) 44.3 60.8 43.7 23.6 16.4 32.8 23.6 29.5 22.6 35.6 32.4 37.5 30.3 27.8 26.7

Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-I99) 265.0 379.4 234.9 435.8 226.8 373.4 255.2 314.4 310.6 273.7 423.5 299.2 358.4 382.8 407.8

Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99) 82.2 40.4 49.3 66.6 93.4 60.7 84.0 85.0 108.6 89.6 62.2 49.3 80.6 76.0 74.9

Diseases of the digestive system (K00-K93) 44.8 45.7 37.3 52.2 23.8 39.2 33.2 27.3 40.5 43.9 33.5 33.3 42.7 44.0 44.9

Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99) 1.8 0.6 2.9 0.8 1.6 1.5 2.2 1.8 2.0 2.5 1.5 1.3 1.8 1.6 1.6

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system/connective tissue (M00-M99) 7.5 5.4 5.6 2.8 4.4 5.2 5.5 5.1 2.1 7.6 4.7 6.5 5.3 4.8 4.5

Diseases of the genitourinary system (N00-N99) 17.9 8.9 13.5 18.3 16.3 15.4 19.3 20.2 24.2 21.3 12.9 8.2 16.6 15.9 15.7
7

Complications of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium (O00-O99) - 0.1 0.1 - - - 0.1 0.1 - - 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96) 1.8 1.4 2.4 1.7 2.6 2.0 2.5 2.5 1.8 2.1 1.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5

Congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99) 2.2 3.5 2.5 1.8 3.8 2.3 3.4 2.9 1.9 2.1 3.0 3.5 2.5 2.6 2.6

Symptoms, signs, abnormal findings, ill-defined causes (R00-R99) 24.2 5.4 54.3 24.2 2.2 15.9 35.0 37.3 119.3 23.9 31.5 28.7 32.6 33.8 32.7

External causes of injury and poisoning (V01-Y89) 32.7 82.4 59.7 39.1 30.3 41.2 32.8 51.5 42.9 36.6 50.9 49.7 43.8 48.4 48.9

Transport accidents (V01-V99) 7.2 8.4 8.0 6.5 6.8 10.4 4.8 5.9 10.6 10.3 5.6 5.4 8.7 9.7 10.0

Suicide and intentional self-harm (X60-X84) 7.0 20.1 16.8 11.9 9.2 6.3 9.3 11.4 8.2 7.4 13.2 17.5 10.6 11.6 11.7

Homicide, assault (X85-Y09) 0.4 2.0 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.0 1.6 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.1

All causes of death (A00-Y89) 873.5 913.5 833.2 997.4 644.9 947.7 828.2 884.9 963.6 842.0 1005.1 805.5 941.4 959.3 977.7

Source: European Regional Health Statistics (EUROSTAT)

Behaviour involving health risks such as the consumption
of drugs, activities involving a risk of injury, excessive
consumption of alcohol, the inappropriate consumption of
medicines, self inflicted injuries and violent aggressions
towards others, are the causes of emerging health
problems. The mortality indicators for these categories in
the Basque Country are low compared with other European
countries. For example, 7 out of every 100,000 inhabitants
died because of suicide or intentional self-harm. This
number is lower than the EU27 average of 11.7 deaths
and well below the death rates for this cause in Finland
(20.1), Switzerland (17.5), France (16.8) or Sweden (13.2).
Regarding transport accidents, the Basque Country ranks
among the regions with the lowest European mortality for
this cause (7.2 per 100.000 inhabitants compared to 10 in
EU27). Finland, France, Italy and Portugal have higher
transport accident rates than the Basque Country. Road
accidents are considered to be one of the most important
causes of premature deaths on a global scale. With regard
to deaths caused by road accidents, Figure 3 shows that
the Basque Country, along with other two regions of Spain
(Madrid and Cantabria), has a low number of victims in
road accidents (less than 60 per million of inhabitants).
This death rate is comparable to some regions of central
and northern Europe.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 Figure 3. Victims in road accidents:
deaths per million inhabitants 2006 2.2. HDI: Knowledge sub-index

Victims in road accidents, Education and knowledge are the essential building-blocks
by NUTS 2 regions, 2006 (1)
of a highly-developed society and one of the most important
(number of deaths per million inhabitants)
quality-of-life indicators. The country's economy, R&D,
<=60 social conditions and scientific achievements are dependent
>60 and <=95 upon the number of highly-trained specialists and workers.
>95 and <=130 Modern society requires advanced and efficient educational
>130 systems in order to face market demands and respond
Data not available efficiently to a rapidly changing world economy.
The educational component of the HDI consists of adult
literacy rates and the combined gross enrolment ratio for
primary, secondary and tertiary schooling, weighted to give
adult literacy more significance in the statistic. The Basque
Country has one of the highest education rates in the
world. Regarding the HDI education index (Figure 4), the
region has outstanding results. With a score of 0.988 it
surpasses France, Sweden and Germany and falls short
of the indicators of only four European countries: Ireland,
Finland, Denmark and Norway.

Figure 4. Education index.

8

Ireland
Finland
Denmark
Norway
(1) Bulgaria, Denmark and Slovenia, country level;
Basque Country
Scotland (UKM), level1; Netherlands
Italy 2003; Spain
Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and UK, 2004; France
Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Slovenia, 2005. Sweden
Data source: Directorate General for Transport and Energy (CARE database), Belgium
UK
Eurostat (tran_r_safe and tran_r_safe_cc)
Greece
©Eurogeographics Association, for the administrative boundaries
Austria
Cartography: Eurostat - GISCO, 10/2008
Italy
Germany
Source: This table appears in pag. 21 of “Regions of the EU. A statistical portrait- 2009 Switzerland
Edition”, EUROSTAT.
Luxembourg

0.900 0.920 0.940 0.960 0.980 1.000

Last but not least, the high longevity index of the Basque
Country relates to the quality of its health system. The
Basque Country allocates a large part of its GDP (21.7 %
in 1997) to its social security system, increasing its capacity
to respond to the increasing demand of the population for
health services. The Basque Country is a developing
community which is constantly evolving and renewing
itself. The high levels of health are the result of the
interaction of its social and economic conditions.
Source: Data for selected countries from UNDP report 2007
(data corresponds to year 2005.)
Data for the Basque Country from EUSTAT 2007 (data corresponds to year 2005).
The high score of the Basque Country in the HDI education
index is due in part to the importance of tertiary education
in the population. As can be seen in Figure 5, the European
areas with the highest percentage of individuals with a
university education (above 35%) are London, Paris, Oslo
and the Basque Country. The countries with the highest
percentage of individuals with a higher tertiary education
are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, England,
some regions of France and Spain, the Basque Country
being the most significant region.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 Moreover, the labour force of the Basque Country has the
Figure 5. Population with tertiary education.
highest percentage of tertiary education qualifications in
Europe. Table 3 shows that 47.6% of the Basque labour
force has a tertiary education qualification.

Table 3. Educational levels of the labour force.

Population with tertiary education (5-6) (%)

Elementary Secondary Tertiary

education education education
34.3
(as % of labour (as % of labour (as % of labour
force) force) force)

Basque Country 30.7 21.7 47.6

Finland 19.0 47.0 34.0
France 27.3 43.1 27.1
24.3 Germany 17.8 58.3 23.8
Ireland 26.6 38.4 32.1
Italy 40.2 44.7 15.0
Netherlands 26.2 43.2 29.6
Norway 11.7 55.7 32.5
13.8 Portugal 71.2 15.2 13.6
Spain 45.2 23.3 31.5
Sweden 16.6 53.7 29.7
Switzerland 14.8 55.4 29.9

Source: OECD Regional Statistics. 2006. Source: OECD 2006

Main building of the University of Deusto (Bilbao)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)


2.3. HDI: Standard
of living sub-index
GDP per capita is an economic indicator used extensively
to measure the wealth of a country. This indicator
determines quality-of-life levels from an economic viewpoint.
development achieved is higher than in other
countries/regions with the same GDP per capita.
OECD Regional Statistics data (Figure 7) shows that the
Basque Country has one of the highest GDP per capita
rates in Europe and enjoys one of the strongest positions
of any Spanish region.

Standard of living is measured in the HDI by GDP per capita Figure 7. GDP per capita (USD/Population)
expressed in US dollars and differences in price levels are of European regions.
accounted for by using the purchasing power parity (PPP
US$) as exchange rate.

Figure 6. GDP per capita (PPP US$)

Luxembourg
Norway
GDP per capita (USD/Pop)

Ireland
Sweden
Switzerland
Basque Country
38853.0
Denmark
Austria
UK
Netherlands
Finland
25881.0
Belgium
France
10
Germany
Italy
Spain
Greece
7890.0
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000

Source: Data for selected countries from UNDP report 2007

(the data corresponds to year 2005.)
Data for the Basque Country from EUSTAT 2007 (the data corresponds to year 2005). Source: OECD Regional Statistics. 2006.

GDP per capita is not only high but has increased

The Basque Country ranks sixth with a GDP per capita of
34.026 US$, ahead of most European countries (Figure 6).
Moreover, the Basque Country ranks even higher in terms
of HDI than in terms of GDP per capita, as can be seen
from a comparison of the results shown in Figures 1 and
5. This fact indicates that that the level of human
consistently over the last ten years: the average yearly
growth rate between 1995 and 2005 was 3.04% according
to the OECD Regional Statistics data (Figure 8). The constant
efforts of the government and citizens of the Basque
Country at an economic level and their attitude to industrial
innovation have helped to increase this indicator.

Shopping area in Bilbao City Center

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 Figure 8. GDP yearly growth in the European Figure 10. Unemployment rates in the European
regions. 1995-2005. regions.

17,4
GDP Yearly Growth 1995-2005 (%)

Unemployment Rate (%)

4,0

2,6

8,2

1,1

Source: OECD Regional Statistics. 2006.
The high GDP per capita has been accompanied by a high
employment rate (67.4% in 2006), one of the highest of
any Spanish region, and a low unemployment rate (7.3%
in 2006) as shown in Figures 9 and 10.
Figure 9. Employment rates in the European
regions.
Source: OECD Regional Statistics. 2006.
11
Finally, the high rate of employment has gone hand in hand
with high productivity rates per worker, allowing the Basque
Country to attain the high GDP per capita shown in Figure
6. Productivity per worker in the Basque Country is similar
to the figure for Ireland and only substantially below that
of Luxembourg (Figure 11). It is 35.4 points higher than
the EU27 average and 3.7 times higher than Bulgarian
productivity.

Figure 11. Productivity per worker in Europe

76,3 (EU 27 average=100).

Luxembourg
Ireland
Basque Country
Belgium
Employment Rate (%)

France
64,4 Austria
Sweden
Netherlands
Finland
UK
Italy
Denmark
Germany
Spain
Greece
EU 27

48,0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Source: “Euskadi in the EU 27”, EUSTAT.

Source: OECD Regional Statistics. 2006.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Human Development Index (HDI)

 3. Other indicators: Public safety

HDI cannot be used to express the full extent of human

development or any other of the composite indices. Figure 12. Intentional homicide
rate per 100,000 inhabitants
12 Accordingly, this and the next section are devoted to other
aspects of a society's well-being.
The security of every member of society is an important 0-3 The boundaries and designations
used on this map do not implay
condition for developing healthy community relations. It 3-5
endorsement or acceptance by the
is one of the primary parameters when talking about the 5-10 United Nations
10-20
quality of life of a country. A low crime rate is an important
20-25
indicator that shows the maturity of social relations and
>25
indicates the integrity of different groups of citizens in the
Data not available
social system. The sense of security helps to create a
healthy social environment, enabling people to live freely
without fear, creating a strong community.
With regard to crime, intentional homicide can be considered
to be the worst offence. According to the United Nations,
the intentional homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants is
quite high in most countries. Europe is one of the safest
places in the world with only 0-3 intentional homicides per
100,000 inhabitants (see Figure 12).

Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 2006

But homicide rates are not the only important indicator of

security levels. Table 4 shows crimes reported to the police
per 1000 inhabitants (the final source is the Basque Police
web site). According to this data, the Basque Country has
one of the lowest crime and offences rate of any European
country. For example, it is about 4 times lower than in
Sweden (2003) or 3.2 times compared to England's (2003).
Moreover, this indicator has remained fairly stable over
recent years1 .
1
The data should be considered with due caution since legislation varies
from country to country.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Other indicators: Public safety

 Table 4. Crime rate in the European Figure 13. Regional crime
Union (per 1,000 people). against property: Europe

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Ireland 22.60 27.29 26.08 24.57 24.74 Higher than 130%

Basque Country 35.37 37.17 35.04 36.17 36.87 Between 110% and 130%
Italy 37.98 39.15 42.86 41.77 44.12 Between 95% and 110%
Spain 49.76 51.35 49.49 48.94 51.12 Between 80% and 95%
Luxembourg 51.59 58.65 58.36 59.58 55.65 Between 65% and 80%
France 68.79 69.32 66.40 61.57 60.40 Lower than 85%
Finland 69.27 69.68 70.56 67.89 64.65
Austria 65.17 73.35 79.40 79.07 73.75
Holland 85.07 88.17 85.22 81.19 76.97
Germany 77.36 78.93 79.63 80.37 77.47
Denmark 88.48 91.56 90.31 87.89 79.96
England/Wales 105.53 112.22 112.41 106.84 92.52
Belgium 96.29 101.08 99.12 97.85 94.45
Sweden 133.90 138.60 140.41 139.13 137.81
Greece 40.22 40.22 40.14 36.74 -
Portugal 36.29 37.91 40.10 39.75 -
EU Average 70.03 72.45 72.49 70.30 69.69

Source for demographic data: EUROSTAT / INE / EUSTAT

Source for crime offenses: Home Office UK/ Country police / Ministerio de Interior /
Departamento Interior G.V. / Conselleria Interior Generalitat. Table obtained from
www.ertzaintza.net

13
With regard to crimes against property (forgery, arson,
burglary, theft, fraud, robbery and malicious damage to
property), Figure 13 shows that the Basque rate is below
the Spanish average, indicating therefore a high degree of
safety for an urban region, which usually have higher rates
Source: OECD Regions at a Glance, 2007. Per inhabitant, as a percentage of the national
of crimes against property than in rural areas. average. 2003.

Campo Volantín - Riverfront walk (Bilbao)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Other indicators: Public safety

 4. The Basque Country at a glance
This section focuses on different aspects of life in the
Basque Country, all of which have an effect on the quality
of life and attractiveness of a location for living.
4.1. A modern,
strategically-located region
The Basque Country is well-known as an international
connectivity hub with a modern communications
infrastructure. Its railways, roads and air transport enable
fast, easy connections with the rest of the territory and
Europe.
Air transport
The Basque Country boasts one of the most advanced
14 airport infrastructures of the Spanish state. There are
airports in each of three main cities: Loiu Airport in Bilbao,
Foronda Airport in Vitoria and Hondarribia Airport in San
Sebastian.
In 2007, these three airports recorded total traffic amounting
to 4,927,000 passengers, 88,078 aircraft and 38,543 tons
of cargo. Each of these is specialised in different types of
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
traffic. San Sebastian airport is a small airport situated very
close to France and specialised in passenger traffic. Vitoria
airport is the third Spanish airport in terms of the volume
of cargo and represents an important hub for goods
transport in the north of the country. It possesses one of
the best perishable goods terminals in Europe, and is the
air freight consolidation centre of DHL for the Iberian
Peninsula and north of Africa. Bilbao airport, specialised in
passenger traffic, is the biggest airport in the Basque
Country and is the most important in the Cantabrian area.
This airport is also famous for its modern facilities and its
new terminal of futurist design, one of the symbols of the
renewal and modernization of the city of Bilbao.
The airline companies operating out of these three airports
are: Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, Air Europa, Air France, Air
Nostrum, Alitalia, Andalus Líneas Aéreas, Brussels Airlines,
Clickair, Easyjet, Iberia, Iberworld, Lufthansa, Nordjet
Airlines, SAS Scandinavian Airline, Spanair, Swiftair, TAP
Portugal, TUIfly and Vueling Airlines. In an average of 1
or 2 hours it is possible to fly to major European cities like
Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, London, Paris, Brussels, Milan,
Munich and Stuttgart. This direct connection with the
principal European airports allows passengers to fly on to
destinations all over the world.
Bilbao 's Airport Terminal
 Sea transport
High speed
railways Bilbao and Pasajes are the two main commercial ports of
Direct flights the Basque Country. These offer modern facilities and
represent major centres for the entry and exit of goods
with a total annual traffic of almost 44 million tons goods
of all kinds from all over the world.

Apart from the airports of the Basque Country, Santander

airport (province of Cantabria) is just 85 km from Bilbao
and Biarritz airport (France) is 158 km away.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

 The Port of Bilbao is one of the most important transport

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24 hours a day, 365 days per year. The port is well equipped
with modern facilities: 350 ha of land surface, 1,971 ha of
Apart from its two main ports, the Basque Country has
flotation surface, 17 km of docks and 252 ha of warehousing
a large number of smaller ports, distributed along the
surface. It also has excellent direct transport connections
entire Basque coast, engaged in activities relating to
with the national railway network and national and European
motorway networks. trade, fishing and sailing.

Bilbao is also used as a port for passenger vessels. The

company P&O runs a regular ferry service ('Pride of Bilbao')
between Bilbao and the city of Portsmouth in Southern
England. A large number of tourists call in at Bilbao during
cruises along the Cantabrian coast.
The port of Pasaia is situated close to San Sebastian, only
an hour away from France. It is smaller than the port of
Bilbao. Its docks are about 4,500 meters long and are used
by fishing boats and merchant vessels, while the rest is
used for other activities. The port is used as an important
trade centre for scrap, iron and steel products, cars, coal,
wood, paper and other types of cargo.
16
Railway network
The Basque Country is endowed with a highly-developed
railway infrastructure with nearly 600 km of routes. Spanish
Railroads´ National Network (RENFE) connects the Basque
Country with the rest of the Spanish state and the main
European cities. From Bilbao-Abando station there are
daily train departures to cities such as Madrid, Barcelona,
Lisbon, Porto and Paris. Within the Basque Country there
is a large network of commuter trains (FEVE) as well as
a specific network on the right bank of the Bilbao river
estuary (Euskotren).

Bilbao underground (Basque Country)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

 Bilbao's tramway

One of the most ambitious projects of the Basque railroad a Burdeos

infrastructure is the high speed train. The project expects

SANTANDER
to connect the three most important cities of the region BIARRITZ
BILBAO
in only half an hour. It plans to reduce travelling times with SAN SEBASTIÁN
a Pau y
the main cities of the Spanish state and some European a Oviedo
Toulouse

cities: Bilbao - Madrid (2 hours 10 minutes), Bilbao -

Bordeaux (2 hours 18 minutes), Bilbao - Paris (5 hours 47
17
minutes), Madrid - Paris (7 hours 25 minutes), Madrid -
Bordeaux (4 hours 20 minutes). PAMPLONA
VITORIA

a León LOGROÑO

BURGOS

a Palencia
y Valladolid
a Zaragoza
y Barcelona

The Bilbao Underground is an important connectivity
infrastructure that allows easy, fast travelling within the
metropolitan area of the capital of Bizkaia. It is 38.2km
long and has two lines that connect the centre of Bilbao
with the coast. The Bilbao underground was designed in
1995 by Sir Norman Foster and is one of the most modern
in the world. Characterised by their innovative, modern
and functional style, the underground stations and
entrances, made from glass and steel, have become
important features in the city.
Road network
The Basque Country has more than 4,250 kilometres of
motorways, general and regional
dual-carriageways and modern access roads to the towns
and cities. It communicates with the rest of Europe along
routes E-05 (Paris - Madrid- Algeciras), E-70 (A-8) (Bilbao-
Bordeaux- Lyon- Turin) and E-80 (A-68) (Lisbon- Madrid-
Toulouse- Rome).
a Madrid
For communications within the Basque Country and with
the rest of the Spanish state, there is a dense road network
with multiple accesses to roads such as the Bilbao-
Saragossa motorway (AP-68), the Bilbao-Behobia motorway
(A-8) and the Eibar-Vitoria-Gasteiz motorway (AP-1).
Connectivity with the entire world
Regarding the supporting communications infrastructure
for the Scientific environment, the i2Basque Network
(backbone of the Basque R&D&I community) and the IRIS
network (Spanish network for interconnection), provide
top-level support for access to the main research and
international commercial networks. This network offers
external connectivity with other research and academic
networks in Europe and takes part in the GÉANT pan-
European IP network project.

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance


4.2. Description
of the health system
Health is a key element to guarantee the individual and
collective well-being of a community. The Basque Country
enjoys a wide network of health services and hospitals,
offering a specializing health care focused on the satisfaction
of the health needs of our citizens with equity, quality and
efficiency.
As an autonomous region of Spain, the Basque Country
has independent powers in the field of medical services.
As a result, the public Basque Health Service Osakidetza
was created, known as the best quality health service of
any Spanish autonomic region.
Osakidetza is the public Basque Health Service assigned
to the Department of Health that provides the necessary
public services to satisfy the health needs of the population.
Osakidetza stands out for its professionalism, innovation
and continuous progress, efficiency and patient orientation.
It has a special health public programme in preventive
medicine and is famous for introducing the use of an
innovative electronic health card.
18
Cruces Hospital (Bizkaia)
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
Health services
According to statistics for 2006, the Basque Country has
45 hospitals: 30 short-term, 5 long and medium term and
10 psychiatric hospitals. The three main hospitals are in
the Bilbao area (Basurto hospital, Galdakao-Usansolo and
Cruces hospital), one hospital in San Sebastian area
(Donostia hospital) and two hospitals in Vitoria (Santiago
hospital and Txagorritxu hospital).
According to statistics for 2006, the total number of health
service workers is about 20,797, of which 4,330 are doctors,
5,969 are nurses and 10,498 with other medical and non
medical profiles. In total, our hospitals have 8,049 beds
(3.8 beds per 1000 inhabitants), 49 doctors and 86.7 nurses
per 100 occupied beds. There are surgical, intensive care,
life support and other services. Also, our hospitals are
provided with operating rooms for programmed and urgent
operations. There are nearly 292,104 hospitalisations and
2,388,131 hospital stays per year, 224,104 surgical
operations, more than 1,099,874 emergency cases,
2,343,699 consultations in hospitals and ambulatories and
20,233 births. In 2006, expenditure on health in the Basque
Country was 1,651.4 million Euros.
Over recent years, policies to improve the health of the
population have been a priority. As a result, important
measures have been adopted to reform the health model
in a highly efficient public health system, in order to improve
and modernise the service.

Electronic health card
The ONA card is a new electronic card that replaces the
individual health card and provides multiple civil uses. The
card provides access to general, statutory and municipal
services in different fields. Health services include the
reservation of medical appointments, second medical
opinions, etc. The major advantage of this card is the
flexibility that it offers, being operative 24 hours a day and
365 days a year.
Bikaia Technology Park
4.3. Scientific
environment
Decisive steps have been taken to transform the Basque
Country into an example of innovation in Europe. The
Basque Science, Technology and Innovation System has
been promoted to combine the efforts of all public and
private entities that encourage the use of Science
Technology and Innovation to improve business
competitiveness.
The Basque Country has organised its research around
eight spheres of knowledge that are closely linked with
its business and social fabric. Together they make up a
point of reference in Europe, and participating actively in
the construction of the European research space, the
leading international consortia at the highest level.
Knowledge communities embrace, in fact, all of the
organisations and institutional agents that carry out activities
designed to generate and disseminate knowledge that
serves as the basis for the processes of social and
commercial innovation,and is the driving force behind
economic development.
The basis of a successful science, technology, and
innovation system is a well-formed critical mass. The
Basque System offers highly qualified jobs in different
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
 disciplines, both in the pubic and private sectors. The
research and technology carried out are founded on
collaboration and cooperation and are organised in the so-
called knowledge communities, which generate new types
of innovation.
Today, the Basque Country has the most extensive network
of science and technology agents in the Spanish state,
with more than 12,500 researchers and backup staff; an
interconnected network of more than 90 entities between
technology and sector centres, laboratories, business units,
universities, and around technological scientific knowledge
communities-understood as multipartite spheres of
cooperation consisting of local groups both in universities
and in research centres and industry. These communities
focus on the following disciplines: biosciences,
nanosciences, materials, neutron sciences, energy,
manufacturing, information sciences, social sciences, and
humanities.
Of special relevance are the 18 technology centres that
carry out technological development activities of an
industrial, pluri-technology, and pluri-sector nature;
knowledge generation work and training; and the
dissemination of their own technologies, not only for their
associate members or collaborators but also for any entity.
20
Moreover, in the region there are a number of Cooperative
Research Centres (CIC), multi-partite cooperation platforms
engaged in the medium-to-long term development of
capabilities in strategic areas of research for the Basque
Community. Universities, together with the technology
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
centres, participate in the configuration of the CICs, which
constitute the Basque Country's new scientific
competences in emerging niches. The companies
themselves participate directly in the managing bodies of
most of the technological research and development
centres, guaranteeing that their activities are orientated
towards the requirements of local companies and promoting
their competitiveness on a global scale.
Today, there are six centres in the following disciplines:
biosciences, biomaterials, manufacturing, nanotechnology,
microtechnology and tourism, and a seventh is under way
in renewable energies.
It is also possible to find three Basque Excellence Research
Renters (BERC): Basque Centre for Climate Change, Basque
Centre for Applied Mathematics (BCAM) and Basque
Centre on Cognition Brain and Language (BCBL).
Business location
Basque Country is a perfect location for foreign businesses
due to its high industrial development and productivity, its
strategic location, its communications network and its
technological and energy infrastructure.
Most investment comes from European Union countries,
although in recent years, the USA is becoming relevant in
the ranking of investing countries. There are presently
more than 700 companies in the Basque Country with a
significant, or majority, participation of foreign companies
Talent attraction
The Basque Country has two organizations: Ikerbasque
(Basque Science Agency) and Bizkaia: Xede, to facilitate
the incorporation of highly qualified personnel into the job
market. The main aim of both organizations is to help to
develop scientific research in the Basque Country by
attracting researchers and providing them with support to
settle in this country.
ESS-Bilbao Welcome Service will coordinate the different
demands and offers relating to ESS-Bilbao.
Fiscal benefits designed to attract talent
All taxable persons subject to VAT, established in the
province of Bizkaia, can obtain VAT refunds or compensation
by ordinary procedure. This can occur once an activity has
begun or even before, which is important with regard to
the acquisition of capital goods.
Even business people and professionals not established
in the territory in which the tax is applied may exercise
their right to a refund of any VAT that they have paid or, if
appropriate, collected in the aforementioned territory. This
regime might be of interest in the case of operations
carried out by business people and professionals of third-
party countries involved in the ESS operation.
With regard to income tax, we should point out that there
are discounts as a measure to promote and attract talent.
Specifically, those persons who take up residence in the
Basque Country can pay taxes during a number of years
as if they were not residents, being liable to 24% taxation.
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
 4.4. Schooling and education

The Basque Country considers educational development

to be of prime importance and is one of the most important
regions in Spain at an educational level. Schooling is The German School San Alberto Magno
voluntary for children from 0 to 6 years of age and mandatory
(www.colegioaleman.net)
from 6 to 16. It is distributed into three stages:
This is a private educational centre located in San Sebastian
for children and young people from 2 to 18. The school
1. Voluntary Infant education, for schoolchildren from 0 to offers an extensive range of activities throughout the
6, in two stages (0-3 and 3-6). different school stages. There study German, English,
Spanish and Basque languages.
2. Compulsory Primary education, for schoolchildren from
6 to 12.
3. Compulsory Secondary education, for schoolchildren
from 12 to 16.

Regarding primary and secondary education, the Basque

Country offers a large number of public and private schools.
At present, practically 100% of children up to 16 years
receive primary and secondary compulsory education. Both
primary and secondary public schools are free and offer
22 a high-quality education including the study of English,
Spanish and Basque.
St. George's English School of Bilbao
(www.st-george.com)
Founded in 1956, the school reproduces the methodology
and operation of British schools and gives special importance
to English language and culture. The school seeks to
establish the foundations of a truly bilingual education
through linguistic immersion consolidated throughout the
student's school life.

Schools

The Basque Country boasts several foreign languages

centres that provide educational experience comparable
to those provided in the respective home countries. There
are the following international schools:
American School of Bilbao (www.asob.es)
The school was founded in 1967. It is accredited by the
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
and the Council of International Schools (ECIS). The
American School of Bilbao offers students an American-
style educational programme taught in English.

The German School San Bonifacio

(www.dsbilbao.org)
Created in 1917 in Bilbao, this centre follows the German
Gymnasium system. The Students receive classes in
German; there are also classes of English, French, Latin,
Spanish, and Basque languages. The school prepares its
students to Abitur examination which gives access to
German universities.
French School of Bilbao
(www.c-francaisbilbao.com)
Created in 1933, the lyceum is a mixed centre that educates
children aged 3 to 16. The fundamental target of the lyceum
is bilingualism based on the study of French and Spanish

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

cultures. Currently, the school has 1000 students of French
and Spanish origin, as well as foreign nationals from other
countries.
Vocational Training
The pupils who from 16 years want to learn a specific
profession can choose a Vocational Training course following
post compulsory secondary education. There are
approximately 140 different types of professional training,
subdivided in a middle and top grade and consistent in a
theoretical-practical knowledge in a professional field. The
duration of the Formative Cycles is variable: from an
academic course and one trimester up to two academic
courses.
Universities
Today, the Spanish network of universities consists of 74
universities, among which there are both public and private
centres. These centres provide excellent opportunities in
both the variety and quality of educational offerings.
Moreover, Spanish universities enjoy a leading role in
Europe in the field of research. In particular, the Basque
Country has four main universities: University of the Basque
Country, Deusto University, Mondragón University, and
TECNUN. These universities comprise 28 faculties, 3 higher
technical schools, and 11 university schools. More than
one-third of the Basque population of between 18 and 25
years attend university and about 46.6% of the labour
force of Basque Country has a tertiary education.
University of the Basque Country (EHU-UPV)
(www.ehu.es)
The UPV-EHU is distributed into three campuses, one in
each Basque province: Alava, Vizcaya and Guipuzkoa.
These three sites house 31 faculties and schools and 104
departments covering a wide variety of subjects. It has a
wide offer of tertiary studies.
University of Mondragon
(www.mondragon.edu)
The Mondragon Unibertsitatea was created in 1997 as a
cooperative university with a clear human vocation and
commitment to our environment, our society and our time.
It has around 4,000 students and offers a total of 22 degree
courses. On the other hand, the range of postgraduate
courses includes 15 Masters and 8 university specialisation
courses.
University of Deusto (www.deusto.es)
23
The University of Deusto was inaugurated in 1886. The
University has two campuses: one in Bilbao and another
in San Sebastian. It is famous in the field of Business
Administration and Management, the Deusto Business
School being one of the best education centres in the
Spanish state. Other Faculties in Deusto include: the
Faculties of Law, Engineering ESIDe, Philosophy and
Education Sciences FICE, Arts, Political Science and
Sociology, Humanities and Theology. The university also
has 3 Schools, 11 Institutes, 9 Chairs and other centres.
The University is widely recognised for its academic
excellence and high quality education.
University of Navarra (www.tecnun.es)
The School of Engineering of San Sebastian, of the
University of Navarra, aims to contribute to the professional,
scientific and human education of prospective engineers.
Since its inception, the School has striven to strike a balance
between teaching, research and service to society, making
these activities complementary to each other. At present
the School offers 5 official degrees recognised by the
Ministry of Education and Science, both at undergraduate
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

and postgraduate level: Industrial Engineering,
Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical, Electronic and
Control Engineering, Industrial Management Engineering
and Materials Engineering.
Moreover, neighbouring autonomous communities offer
the Universities of Cantabria, Public University of Zaragoza,
University of Zaragoza, University of La Rioja, and University
of Valladolid. There are also leading universities in the
autonomous communities of Madrid, Catalonia, Community
of Valencia, Galicia, and Andalusia.
The Basque Country promotes the connection between
companies and universities in technological research,
development and innovation. University centres have a
long history of collaboration within the R&D investigations,
contributing to the innovation of the region and giving
pupils a chance to do internships in big companies. The
high grade of tertiary education shows the importance that
the country gives to the development of the potential of
its young people, offering them access to high quality
subsidised education.
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
Sukarrieta (Basque Country)
4.5. Nature and
the environment
Broad plains, mountain ranges, green woods, spectacular
cliffs, abundant wetlands and marshes and relaxing beaches.
Lovers of natural spaces have a great deal to discover in
the Basque Country. The diversity and beauty of its
landscapes have been preserved not only in its protected
areas but in a large part of the territory. Visitors can enjoy
natural spaces and ecosystems located very near urban
centres and cities. In the Basque Country, nature is just a
stone's throw away from civilisation.
Protection and conservation
The Basque Country has nine natural parks, five protected
biotopes and a biosphere reserve, Urdaibai, where the
cliffs and beaches of the coast and the reserve's woods,
wetlands and inland rivers make up the greatest diversity
of landscapes and ecological resources in our territory.
In total, 14% of the surface area of the Basque Country
is protected in accordance with one of these schemes
(above the European average of 12.3%). Additionally, a
technical design proposal has been drawn up for a network
of ecological corridors to ensure the viability of the
populations of flora and fauna of the Basque Country. On
the other hand, it is interesting to note that more than
20% of the surface area of the Basque Country is included
in the European Natura 2000 network.
Sea, rivers, coastline and beaches
The 252 km of Basque coastline is one of the most
important tourist destinations thanks to the natural beauty
of its surroundings, where beaches of fine sand are
interspersed with steep cliffs, river estuaries and a number
of wetlands and marshes of great ecological interest.
Inland, you can discover a large number of recreational
and leisure areas by rivers and reservoirs, some of which
represent veritable inland seas which are bound to surprise
you.
The Cantabrian sea is home to a large number of marine
mammals and one can see a wide variety of cetaceans
(dolphins, fin whales, sperm whales, etc.) during the voyage
of the Bilbao-Portsmouth ferry, which offers crash courses
on marine fauna.
Wealth of flora and fauna
Due to the strategic biogeographical position of the Basque
Country, placed between the Eurosiberian and
Mediterranean systems, the climatic gradient that runs
from the coast towards the interior, together with
differences in altitude of more than 1000 m, there is a
great wealth of flora and fauna. In this way, more than
3000 species of plants and almost 40 invertebrates live in
the extensive network of natural spaces in the Basque
Country, a land where nature coexists in harmony with
human beings.
Environmental management
Through the Environment and Territorial Planning
Department, the public administration of the Basque
Country develops and manages one of the most advanced
environmental protection and conservation policies in
Europe.
Based on a strategy of long-term sustainable development 25
(2002-2020 Basque Sustainable Development Strategy)
Mundaka and the Unesco Biosphere Natural Reserve of Urdaibai (Bizkaia)
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

the struggle against climate change, the preservation of
biodiversity and the prevention and control of contamination,
are just a few of its areas of activity. There is a specific
action plan for each area (2007-2010 Basque Plan to Fight
against Climate Change; 2009-2014 Biodiversity Strategy;
26 etc.), which aim to achieve continuous environmental
improvement.
The development of these policies has been strengthened
through the firm support given to environmental R&D&I
over recent years in the Basque Country. The BC3 (Basque
Centre for Climate Change), the CIC energyGUNE
(Cooperative Research Centre in Renewable Energies),
the Torre Madariaga Biodiversity Observatory Unit and the
Environmental Economics Unit (University of the Basque
Country) are a few of the research centres whose work
helps to raise an awareness of environmental problems
and more efficient solutions to help in their eradication.
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
Sorginetxe dolmen (Basque Country)
4.6. Culture, leisure
and sports
The Basque Country -or Euskadi as it called by the locals-
is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is famous
for its culture, architecture, gastronomy, leisure and sports
and its wonderful natural spaces. The country has an
unforgettable miscellany of traditional and modern life and
offers a wide range of tourist activities. Visitors can enjoy
its museums and concerts, take a walk in its beautiful
natural parks and beaches, practice different types of sports
and enjoy its exquisite cuisine. The Basque Country offers
modern innovative infrastructures but at the same time it
retains the charm of its traditional culture.
Due to its privileged geographical position and the influence
of the Atlantic Ocean, the Basque Country enjoys a
moderate, gentle climate. The average annual temperature
is about 14.3ºC, the region has 11 days of frost and 2 of
snow a year and 132 hours of sunshine per month. The
mean minimum temperature is 4.7ºC (January) and mean
maximum temperature is 25.5ºC (August), however in the
summer months the temperature can reach more than
30ºC. The mean rainfall in winter is about 129 mm and
the mean rainfall in summer is about 70 mm per month.
Culture
The Basque Country is especially famous for its offer of
cultural activities. The San Sebastian Film Festival, Vitoria
Jazz Festival, the Artium Museum in Vitoria, the Fine Arts
museum in San Sebastian and Guggenheim museum of
Bilbao, with its outstanding modern architecture, are a few
of the huge number of cultural choices.
Cooking is deeply rooted in Basque culture: the area has
produced world-renowned chefs and schools that have
revolutionised the concept of fine cuisine. The Basque
Country has one of the highest concentrations of haute
cuisine restaurants in the world, and there is a host of
small restaurants that serve traditional recipes in uniquely
attractive settings ("pintxos").
Sports
The Basque people are very fond of sports. The
mountainous relief of the region, the proximity of the sea,
its forests and the natural beauty of the environment
determine the character of its people and make the Basque
Country a perfect place for the practice of diverse range
of sporting activities. The most popular sports in this region
include mountaineering, surfing, sailing, swimming, hiking,
climbing, handball, tennis, hockey, soccer, rugby, basketball,
golf, etc.
Arriaga Theater (Bilbao)
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance

Main cities
The Basque Country has a lot of picturesque sightseeing
famous all over the world. Its castles, small villages and
big cities – the most important being Bilbao, San Sebastian
and Vitoria-Gasteiz - are of special interest. The small size
of the region makes it easy to travel trough and the
hospitality of its people makes a newcomer feel like home.
The principal cities of the Basque Country are an example
of sustainable urban development, offering both to its
inhabitants and visitors a nice environment with a wide
28
offer of green spaces of public recreation.
Bilbao
Bilbao is one of the most beautiful and modern cities of
the Atlantic coast. The city's offer of cultural activities, of
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
Casco Viejo, Bilbao (Basque Country)
the first magnitude, has made Bilbao a focus of international
attraction. With the creation of new infrastructures such
as the underground and tram, the rehabilitation of numerous
buildings, the enlargement of the port, the expansion of
the city's green spaces and the birth of the Museum
Guggenheim and the Euskalduna Palace, Bilbao has
undergone a major transformation over recent years.
Although these improvements have made the city more
habitable, a great deal of work has also been done to
preserve its delightful old part.
Architects from all over the world have taken part in efforts
to redefine the city, including Santiago Calatrava, Sir Norman
Foster, Frank Ghery, Robert Stern, Arata Isozaki, Zaha
Hadid, Rob Krier, and Federico Soriano. The Euskalduna
Palace, the Zubi-Zuri (White Bridge), the Bilbao underground,
the Uribitarte Towers and the Guggenheim Museum are
some of the constructions that give to the city its personality,
charisma and avant-garde appeal.
Bilbao town hall (Basque Country)
 Kursaal, San Sebastian (Basque Country)

One of the most interesting places in the city is its old

San Sebastian
quarter, made up of narrow streets full of bars and
restaurants. In terms of historical architecture, San Sebastian
Located on the banks of the Cantabrian sea and surrounded
has a number of beautiful cathedrals, and the city is
by green mountains, San Sebastian offers a myriad of
especially famous for its conference centre, the Kursaal,
breath-taking views that captivate both its inhabitants and
the work of Rafael Moneo, the Comb of the Wind, with 29
visitors alike. The beautiful bay in the shape of shell that
the sculptures of Eduardo Chillida, etc.
opens the metropolis to the sea is undoubtedly the most
famous image of the city.

San Sebastian Jazz Festival (Basque Country)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance


Vitoria-Gasteiz
30
Thanks to the city's pedestrian precincts and extensive
green spaces, the quality of life of the inhabitants of Vitoria-
Gasteiz is one of the highest in Europe. The city has the
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. The Basque Country at a glance
Vitoria (Basque Country)
highest percentage of natural spaces of any Spanish city:
20 m2 of green areas per inhabitant. Moreover, Vitoria-
Gasteiz is surrounded by a green ring composed by four
immense parks of high ecological and landscape value
(Olarizu, Armentia, Salburua and Zabalgana), which serve
as transition between the urban and the rural environment.
Virgen Blanca Square, Vitoria (Basque Country)
 5. Conclusions
Together, the social, cultural, geographical, and economic
conditions of the Basque Country offer a broad range of
attractive opportunities. Indicators such as the Human
Development Index (HDI), which takes a wide range of
aspects into account, such as life expectancy at birth,
literacy levels of the adult population, educational level
and income levels, are extremely favourable.
The region ranks third in the world according to the Human
Development Index in aspects such as life expectancy at
birth, which stands at 80.8 years, one of the highest in
Europe and the combined enrolment rates of its primary,
secondary and tertiary education are among the best in
Europe due to the high quality of Basque education centres.
The region's high GDP per capita and employment rates,
the low unemployment and crime rates, compared to other
European countries, which have not varied substantially
over recent years, makes the Basque Country an attractive,
safe place to live and work.
The Basque Country is an integrated system of cities
located in a strategic place in Europe, making it a veritable
Euro-City. It has modern communications, road, train and
air transport infrastructures that allow for easy and flexible
connections with the rest of Spain and Europe. Located
on the international Lisbon-Stockholm euro-Atlantic axis,
Bilbao airport is the most important passenger traffic centre
in the North of Spain.
The Basque Country is tradition and modernity. The diversity
of its landscapes and peoples, together with its love of
tradition, and the wish to advance forward, have fashioned
an open society in which individual customs and ways of
life can coexist alongside the most modern manifestations
of art, culture and architecture.
It has successfully preserved its internationally-recognized
natural scenery: broad social diversity, an ambitious offer
of art and cultural activities, as well as an extensive variety
of leisure and sports pursuits. It is a country open to new
trends thanks to its international festivals, including film,
music and other artistic forms. It has world-class cultural
infrastructures and is international headquarters of major
scientific, economic and business conferences.
ESS-Bilbao represents the culmination of 20 years of
continued efforts to place the Basque Country at the
31
forefront of the scientific, technological and business
development of Spain and Southern Europe as a whole.
As a site, Bilbao represents a safe bet as the metropolitan
area of the city represents, moreover, an international
cultural, financial and business centre of the highest level.
All this in an unparalleled natural environment, with
innumerable opportunities for leisure and culture and for
the enjoyment of life.
Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Conclusions
 6. Useful links

General information: Social activities:

www.euskadi.net www.sansebastianfestival.com
www.eustat.es www.heinekenjazzaldia.com
www.turismoa.euskadi.net www.jazzvitoria.com
www.destinospaisvasco.com www.bilbaobbklive.com/2009
www.athletic-club.net
Connectivity: www.realsociedad.com
www.alaves.com
www.bilbaoport.es
www.euskalsurf.com
www.puertopasajes.net
www.ligaact.com
www.aena.es
www.fipv.net
www.renfe.es
www.fundacioneuskadi.com
www.feve.es
www.fvpyc.org
www.euskotren.es
www.termibus.es
32 Tourist information, Main Cities:
www.metrobilbao.net
www.bilbao.net
Education: www.visitbilbao.info
www.sansebastianturismo.com
www.dsbilbao.org
www.vitoria-gasteiz.org/turismo
www.colegioaleman.net
www.st-george.com
Tourist information, Small cities:
www.asob.es
www.c-francaisbilbao.com www.bakio.com
www.ehu.es www.bermeokoudala.net
www.dipc.ehu.es www.balmaseda.net
www.ehu.es/biofisica www.durango-udala.net
www.mondragon.edu www.durangaldea.com
www.tecnun.es www.gernika-lumo.net
www.deusto.es www.getxo.net
www.gordexola.net
Culture and arts: www.gorliz.net
www.portugalete.com
www.guggenheim-bilbao.es
www.museobilbao.com
www.museoreproduccionesbilbao.org
www.euskal-museoa.org
www.museomaritimobilbao.org
www.eduardo-chillida.com
www.teatroarriaga.com

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Useful links

 Sources

• Report of public health 2006, Department of Health of the Basque Country

• Investing in the Basque Country, SPRI
• OECD Regions at a Glance, OECD 2007
• Regional report: Basque Science, edition of Nature 12 June 2008
• AENA annual report 2007
• EUSTAT (Basque Statistic Institute), Human development index 2007
• Euskadi in the EU-27, 2008
• UNDP 2007 Human Development Report
• Web site Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (www.aena.es)
• Web site Bilbao Port (www.bilbaoport.es)
• Web site Pasaia Port (www.puertopasajes.net)
• Web site Metro Bilbao (www.metrobilbao.net)
• Web site RENFE (www.renfe.es)
• Web site FEVE (www.feve.es)
• Web site Euskotren (www.euskotren.es)
• Web site Termibus (www.termibus.es)
• Web site Basque Government, Department of Transports and Public Works
(http://www.garraioak.ejgv.euskadi.net/r41-430/es/contenidos/informacion/4429/
es_4081/es_15725.html)
• Web site Basque Government, Health Department
• Web site Spanish-Living (www.spanish-living.com)
• Web site German School San Bonifacio (www.dsbilbao.org)
• Web site German School San Alberto Magno (www.colegioaleman.net)
• Web site St. George's English School of Bilbao (www.st-george.com)
• Web site American School of Bilbao (www.asob.es)
• Web site French School of Bilbao (www.c-francaisbilbao.com)
• Web site University of the Basque Country (EHU–UPV) (www.ehu.es)
• Web site DIPC (EHU-UPV) (www.dipc.ehu.es)
• Web site UB (EHU–UPV/CSIC) (www.ehu.es/biofisica)
• Web site University of Mondragon (www.mondragon.edu)
• Web site University of Deusto (www.deusto.es)
• Web site University of Navarra (www.tecnun.es)

Quality of Life in the Basque Country. Sources