In "The Journal Of Economic Perspectives" published by the American Economic Association studied the concept of standard of living from 1800 to the present. They talk about health, birth rate, length of life, literacy, and politics. First, they talk about life expectancy. In England there was a change in 1871 and India 1945.
Fertility rates changed in England in 1881 and India 1967. The typical woman in the 1890's married in her teens or early twenties and spent 15 years in a state of pregnancy, today that that time is 4 years. Literacy, in India in 1950 19 % of the population was literate whereas today 82 % are literate. All these factors and more help in a nation's movement to a higher standard of living. Measured by per capita GDP.
Is there anything that is not take-in into account when measuring standard of living?