EU-SILC  “The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions” (EU-SILC) is the main source for the compilation of comparable indicators on social cohesion used for policy monitoring at EU level in the framework of the Open Method of Coordination.EU-SILC is a multi-purpose instrument. It mainly focuses on income, where detailed income components are collected at household and (mainly) at personal level. In addition, information on social exclusion, housing conditions, labour market participation, education and health is obtained.” Main developments At the time of the introduction of the Open Method of Coordination, the EU already had extensive experience with harmonized data on income and living conditions. more A common framework The EU-SILC Framework regulation aims to establish “a common framework for the systematic production of European Union statistics on income and living conditions (hereafter referred to as EU-SILC), encompassing comparable and timely cross-sectional and longitudinal data on income and on the level and composition of poverty and social exclusion at national and European levels”. Providing comparable data is a key objective of EU-SILC. more Cross-sectional and longitudinal data The EU-SILC collects both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. First priority is given to the delivery of comparable, timely and high-quality cross-sectional data. The cross-sectional data refer to a single observation in time (typically one reference year for income). more Reference population and sample size The reference population of EU-SILC consists of “ all private households and their current members residing in the territory of the Member State at the time of data collection". By a private household is meant “a person living alone or a group of people who live together in the private dwelling and share expenditures, including the joint provision of the essentials of living". meer Income concept A large number of the common indicators within the OMC framework are based on EU-SILC income data, as a measure of current economic well-being. Measuring incomes involves a number of key methodological choices, many of which can have strong repercussions on the reported levels of income (and income inequality). The next paragraphs provide more information on the income reference period, equivalised income and the various income components. more