ForumIAS announcing GS Foundation Program for UPSC CSE 2025-26 from 26th June. Click Here for more information.
Gross National Happiness is a term coined by His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970s.
Gross national happiness (GNH) measures economic and moral progress as an alternative to gross domestic product measurement in Bhutan.
The concept implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of well being.
The Gross National Happiness Index is a single number index developed from 33 indicators categorized under nine domains including psychological well-being, standard of living, good governance, health, community vitality, cultural diversity, time use, and ecological resilience.
The GNH Index is constructed based upon a robust multidimensional methodology known as the Alkire-Foster method.
In 2012, for the first time World Happiness Report was released by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network based on Gross Happiness Index at global level.
