This study employs a novel approach to measure and analyse quality
of life in the Gauteng City-Region of South Africa. A comprehensive
composite index is constructed. Comparing the quality of life of different
groups, groups such as Africans, residents in urban informal settlements
and females scoring relatively low. The weighting of the dimensions of
quality of life is compared across groups, with ‘housing and infrastructure’
and ‘social relationships’ explaining the most variance for groups with
lower and higher quality of life respectively. The findings emphasise the
unevenness of wellbeing. The study provides a basis for measuring and
analysing quality of life in other countries