Bhutan’s Contribution to the World

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in Asia that has strong beliefs and traditions mainly influenced by Buddhism. This country was never colonized which allowed it to maintain its national identity. These days, although it is quite behind other Asian countries in terms of economic development, Bhutan is doing well in promoting economic freedom and controlling corruption. The country is known as the happiness and peace-loving nation that created the Gross National Happiness Index.

The phrase “Gross National Happiness” was coined by Bhutan’s fourth king, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in the 1970s. He said in one of his interviews that Bhutan does not believe in the Gross National Product. He added that the Gross National Happiness is more important for the country. Since then, the socio-economic policies of Bhutan were based on the concept of the Gross National Happiness. The country also developed a measuring tool based on this concept which was then called the Gross National Happiness Index.

The Gross National Happiness Index is a tool that aims to measure the collective happiness level of people living in one country. It was created to serve as a basis in the development of holistic approaches that can be used by governments and private entities as they strive for progress and success. The Gross National Happiness Index helps authorities give equal importance to the non-economic aspects of society.

The Gross National Happiness Index has nine domains: psychological wellbeing, health, education, time use, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and resilience, and living standards. It also has 33 indicators that can be used for different genders, age groups, places of residence, and other demographic characteristics. For example, under the living standards domain, people are asked about their assets. They are asked if they own certain kinds of gadgets and appliances, land, and livestock. Under the time use domain, people are also asked how many hours of their day are spent for work and sleep.

Based on the response that people gave on a survey that features the 33 indicators, their level of happiness is measured using a standard scale. People who scored less than 50 percent are considered “unhappy.” Those who fall under the 50 percent to 65 percent range are “narrowly happy,” and those who scored from 66 percent to 75 percent are “extensively happy.” People who scored higher than 76 percent are considered “deeply happy.” In 2015, Bhutan surveyed 8,871 respondents who are all above the age of 15 and found out that 43.4 percent of Bhutanese are happy.