National Development Indicators
Thinley DORJI (Mr.)
National Environment Commission
www.nec.gov.bt
Email: thinleydorji@nec.gov.bt
Bhutan – country background
Area = 38,394 sqkm
Population = 0.7m
Forest cover = 72% approx
Arable land = 2.93% (1125 sqkm)
Government = Constitutional democracy
Gross National Happiness (GNH) & its
Indicators
 Historically Bhutan is referred to as “Lhomenjong”
– valley of medicinal herbs
 Development philosophy is centered around the
Gross National Happiness (GNH) concept (the
term coined by His Majesty the Fourth King of
Bhutan is early 1970s)
GNH concept implies that SD to progress in a
manner giving equal importance to non-economic
aspects of wellbeing (good life)
Gross National Happiness (GNH) & its
Indicators
• Four pillars of GNH
1.
2.
3.
4.
Good governance
Sustainable socio-economic development
Cultural preservation
Environmental conservation
• The four pillars of GNH are further classified
into 9 domains with 33 indicators (124
variables)
GNH indicators
• The 33indicators under the nine domains aim to
emphasize different aspects of wellbeing and
different ways of meeting these underlying
human needs – the indicators are further
composed of 124 variables
• The indicators are:
–
–
–
–
–
Statistically reliable
Normatively important,
Accuracy across time
Policy relevance
Clarity of interpretation
Psychological
Wellbeing
Living Standards
•Assets
•Housing
•Household per capita
income
•Life satisfaction
•Positive emotions
•Negative emotions
•Spirituality
Health
•Mental health
•Self reported health
status
•Healthy days
•Disability
Ecological
Diversity and
Resilience
•Ecological Issues
•Responsibility towards
environment
•Wildlife damage
(Rural)
•Urbanization issues
GNH
Community
Vitality
Time Use
•
•
Work
Sleep
Education
•Donations (time &
money)
•Community
relationship
•Family
•Safety
•Literacy
•Schooling
•Knowledge
•Value
Good Governance
•Gov’t performance
•Fundamental rights
•Services
•Political Participation
Cultural Diversity
and Resilience
•Speak native
Language
•Cultural Participation
•Artistic Skills
•Driglam Namzha
GNH Index
• GNH Index uses two types of thresholds
1. Sufficiency Thresholds: Shows how much a
person needs in order to enjoy ‘sufficiency’ –
how much is enough, normally, to create a
happiness condition. Each of the 33 GNH
indicators has a sufficiency threshold.
2. Happiness Threshold: A person who enjoys
sufficiency in more than six or more of the 9
domains is considered happy.
What it does?
• All government polices & plans are screened
for GNH (mandatory mainstreaming of
environmental issues into plans, policies &
programs)
• All development projects/activities should be
aligned with the GNH approved/endorsed
plans
• Quarterly review is conducted to measure
progress & status
What it does?
• GNH survey conducted and based on the results
measures are taken to improve the GNH Index.
• GNH Index effectively classifies the population
depending on the degree of happiness (in
sufficiency)
–
–
–
–
Deeply happy (>77%)
Extensively happy (66% - 76%)
Narrowly happy (50% - 65%)
Unhappy (0 %– 49%)
GNP ≠ GNH
“Gross National Happiness (GNH) measures the
quality of a country in more holistic way
[than GNP] and believes that the beneficial
development of human society takes place
when material and spiritual development
occurs side by side to complement and
reinforce each other”
Tashi Delek
&
Thank You for listening