Methodology

Most of our report builds on databases from the Central Statistical Office and Eurostat, but for a number of indicators, we have relied on data from the World Bank, the WHO, as well as independent research institutes. We tried to work with raw data. Complex indicators of sustainability (carbon footprint, HDI, etc.) are not taken into account in our calculations.

Based on the available statistical data and other, evaluations including qualitative ones, grades have been given.
Unlike in last year's publication, two kinds of grading were used in the present report:

1) Rating based on the state of affairs: Similarly to assessment in schools, the condition of the area being assessed was graded on a scale of one to five. There are sustainability targets available in a few exceptional cases (e.g. concerning the use of renewable energy sources). In these cases, gradin was carried on the conditions achieved; but in most cases we were only able to record the state of affairs as compared to reference countries. Accordingly:
A grade of 1 was given if the situation in Hungary is worse than both the V4 average and in Romania;
A grade of 2, when the area investigated is in a worse state than the European average;
A grade of 3, when Hungarian performance reaches the V4 average levels;
A grade of 4, when we have outperformed both the V4 average and Romania;
A grade of 5, when the state of the domain is better than the European average.
For finer scalability, fractional values were used.

2) Rating based on change: in this case, the changes were evaluated, in terms of how much the given indicator moved towards or away from sustainability. Here the evaluation scale ranges from –2 to +2, with a 0 value indicating no change. On the website, the change is shown by coloured arrows instead of by means of numbers.

The grades thus determined for specific subdomains were compiled, and their averages determined the sustainability score of the three overarching fields (the economy, the environment, society).

As a rule of thumb, the evaluation was carried out for the period 2008-2014, provided that such a timeframe is required in order to detect truly enduring trends.

Given that our methodology requires further development, the reader is more than happy to contact us (through the appropriate "Contact us" tab above) to provide comments data could be used better.