Bhutan developed Gross National Happiness as a national policy philosophy.
The idea is associated with Bhutan’s Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who emphasized that national progress should include well-being rather than rely only on economic production. Gross National Happiness, usually abbreviated GNH, became a distinctive framework for discussing Bhutan’s development priorities.
Bhutan’s official GNH approach uses several broad areas, including psychological well-being, health, education, time use, cultural diversity, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and living standards. Government policies and proposed projects may be assessed against these dimensions through a screening process.
GNH does not mean that Bhutan measures a single daily happiness score instead of using economic statistics. Bhutan also uses conventional measures such as gross domestic product. The philosophy is better understood as a wider development framework that places cultural preservation, environmental protection and social welfare alongside economic growth.