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Victoria 3 World Map
Image via Paradox Development Studio

How to Increase Standard of Living in Victoria 3

From Starving to Opulent!

In (most) civilizations, the goal is to ensure a fair standard of living for all of your citizens. In Victoria 3, the same can most certainly be said. But, the question becomes how, as the benevolent and omnipresent god of society and civilization, can you make that happen? Today, we’ll be diving into the world of Victoria 3 and doing our best to answer that question. If you want to raise your pops from Starving to Opulent, read on to discover the best methods to increasing the standard of living in Victoria 3.

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How to Increase Standard of Living in Victoria 3

In Victoria 3, standard of living ranges from 1 to 99. 1 through 4 is considered Starving, while 5 through 9 is Struggling. As you increase standard of living, conditions continue to improve until you reach 60+, which is considered Opulent. It might come across as an afterthought at first, but it’s very important to keep standard of living in mind when building your civilization!

Related: All Playable Nations in Victoria 3

In order to raise standard of living, make sure your pops can maintain their lifestyle. If they cannot meet their needs, they’ll start to rebel, which is the last thing you want. But, it’s not just about maintaining their current lifestyle. It’s also about advancing their lifestyle. There are a lot of factors that go into this, but one is their chosen occupation. In the game, there are three strata that jobs belong to; if your pops work a job in the lower strata, you’ll have to focus on increasing their qualifications until they can get a better job.

It can also help to shift focus to the businesses within your country. If they’re profitable, the nation’s wages can increase, which will lead to a higher standard of living across the nation. See what I mean by ‘a lot of factors’? And they’re all interconnected! For example — if your pops have lower strata jobs because there aren’t many middle or upper strata jobs, you can focus on the businesses in your country and make new ones that fit into those strata. You may not ever get your entire population into upper-strata jobs for obvious reasons, but it’s all about raising the average standard of living.

Author
Image of James Herd
James Herd
James has been playing games for as long as he can remember. His first game was either The Lion King or The Mask for the SNES. He has since grown into the biggest apologist for JRPGs and he wants to be Yoko Taro for Halloween.