Today, the majority of countries around the world rate their success in terms of their economic status, measured by GDP (or GDP per capita). However, surely this is not the only way to define whether a country is successful. This is the thinking behind the forming of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index (GNH), invented by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, of Bhutan, in the 1970s. It is a philosophy that comes from the country’s roots in Buddhism and guides the governing and policy making of Bhutan. It is an index to gauge the collective happiness and wellbeing of a population. In 1972 Bhutan declared it as being more important than GDP, and in a 2011 UN general assembly, members were urged to follow the example of Bhutan, saying happiness was a ‘fundamental human goal’.
The use of GDP to measure a country’s success has many limitations and issues. While a country may place highly on the rankings, it can hide inequalities within the country. For example, Saudi Arabia places 19th in the global ranks – showing it is one of the richest countries in the world; but this figure fails to show huge economic inequalities. Despite the country having an annual oil revenue of $200 billion, 20% of Saudi Arabians live in poverty, with poor quality housing, lack of access to healthcare and limited education. With these clear disparities, it seems wrong that it manages to place so highly on the GDP rankings. An alternative way of measuring success and development could involve the use of the Gross National Happiness Index, and with the knowledge of the issues with the GDP measure, surely new ways of measuring a countries growth and development should be looked for.
So, how does Bhutan measure its GNH? It is a single number, developed from 33 indicators which are categorised into nine domains: psychological wellbeing, health, education, time use, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and resilience, and living standards. When the survey was first introduced, it took several hours to complete one questionnaire, with questions about how often you pray or fight with your family. This number is then used to help guide the country in making policies and laws, with the philosophy that the key to success is a happy population.
Bhutan have even used their unique Gross Happiness Index as a key out of Covid-19. With only nine deaths to the virus, and being amongst the top 10 countries in Asia for vaccine rates, it is clear that the Coronavirus management strategy in Bhutan has been a success, and throughout the pandemic they have been guided by happiness. Provision of social and economic support has been better than many countries with far more resources. For example, from the earliest stages of the pandemic, a mental-health task force was set up to offer counselling to the people. Loans have been deferred, and grants made to those furloughed or laid-off. This leads to citizens being willing to follow guidance, ultimately leading to their success in handling the virus.
Overall, countries should value more than just their economy, and value the people. The world should look to Bhutan for a model of success and use similar philosophies to guide their own decision making. In recent times, governments around the world have been speaking about the value of good mental health, and the use of a Gross National Happiness Index around the world would help countries to see what areas they need to improve. The index also takes into account ecological diversity, a factor of growing importance as the climate crisis is possibly the biggest issue facing the future of our planet. Whilst GNH does not have to be the only measure of the success of countries, it should at least play a part in it, and considering the success of Bhutan in important matters such as the global pandemic, it is clear that every country should attempt to follow their example.
