Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness

In 1972, the king of Bhutan changed the way his country measured progress from the traditional gross national product (GNP) to gross national happiness. Rather than focusing purely on total output, the alternative metric looks at the equity and sustainability of development, the preservation of culture, conservation, and good governance. Although it’s hard to measure the precise effect the change has had on the country, some validation came in 2007, when Bhutan was the only low-GNP nation to rank in the top 20 in a survey of subjective well-being.

Other groups have made similar efforts, most notably with the genuine progress indicator. While the traditional GDP includes all goods and services produced in a country, the GPI distinguishes between those that increase well-being (like childcare) and those that represent reduced well-being (like medical services after a car crash).