GRANULAR Knowledge Transfer Accelerator. Beyond GDP metrics for rural areas: measure what (really) matters. Highlights' report.

On 19 March 2026, the European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL) organised a webinar of the GRANULAR Knowledge 
Transfer Accelerator (KTA) Bootcamp, titled “Beyond GDP metrics for rural areas: measure what (really) matters.”

The session brought together a diverse audience of policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to reflect on how development in rural areas is measured and how existing frameworks can be improved to better capture local realities.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains the primary indicator of economic performance in the European Union, yet it does not capture many aspects that shape people’s lived experiences, particularly in rural areas. Dimensions such as environmental quality, social cohesion, access to services, resilience, and subjective wellbeing are central to rural prosperity but remain largely invisible in conventional economic metrics.  In response, the European Union has stepped up efforts to move “beyond GDP” by developing complementary indicators that reflect sustainable and inclusive wellbeing, advancing tools such as the Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing Index, designed to complement GDP.

Evidence from the GRANULAR project on Wellbeing in rural areas shows that wellbeing and quality of life in rural areas depend on a complex mix of social, environmental, psychological, and economic factors. While many rural communities benefit from strong social ties and a sense of belonging, they also face specific challenges linked to service access, deprivation, and development trade-offs. This webinar aims to connect EU-level Beyond GDP initiatives with granular, place-based evidence, exploring how wellbeing-oriented metrics can better inform rural development and territorial policymaking.