Economic development is still widely considered to be one of the pillars of human development. However, the consequences resulting from existing natural limits are increasingly visible and today's increasingly crowded world is no match for what had been idealized with a view to maintaining sustained income growth. Economic growth only contributes positively to well-being up to a certain point, after which point the contribution will be negative, since the associated costs will be greater than the benefits obtained. On the other hand, the dematerialization of the economy, associated with technological advances and the substitutability of natural and manufactured capital, constitute solutions to guarantee the sustainability of economic growth and its sustainability in the process of economic and social development. In this context, the development and application of sustainability indicators emerges as an essential tool for capturing the different perspectives and aspects associated with development and well-being, and for highlighting the pattern of evolution of a country. The relationship between the Sustainable Economic Well-being Index (SIEI) and other indicators, namely the Ecological Footprint, savings and the Human Development Index, is discussed in order to capture and discuss different perspectives on sustainability. There has been a gradual shift away from the growth behaviour of the Portuguese economy towards the SIEI. It is noted that the components that most affect the final value are, for example, services, domestic work, the effects of inequality in income distribution, the depletion of non-renewable resources, services and durable goods, private expenditure on durable goods, long-term environmental damage and the net change in the international position. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out on the components that have the greatest impact on the final value of this indicator. There has been a gradual shift away from the growth behaviour of the Portuguese economy towards the Sustainable Economic Well-being Index. This is the genesis of this intervention by the speaker.