The Only Number that Really Matters

In 1972, the King of Bhutan announced that “gross national happiness is more important than gross domestic product.” It was a charming sound bite that captured imaginations worldwide. Finally, someone was brave enough to say it: Happiness matters more than money.

At the time, Bhutan was poor. More than 50 years later, Bhutan still ranks near the bottom of countries globally in per capita gross domestic product (GDP), a metric that captures the dollar value, per person, of the goods and services that a country produces.

In Bhutan today, life expectancy is 73 years — higher than the 51 years in 1972, but still only right at the world average. Meanwhile, politicians are concerned about “unprecedented” levels of people leaving the country, mostly for economic opportunities elsewhere. While Bhutan’s own Gross National Happiness surveys show rising happiness since data collection started in 2010, internationally comparable surveys show a fall in self-reported happiness in the country.