Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index to be Implemented in Brazil

Bhutan’s renowned Gross National Happiness (GNH) is all set to be implemented in Brazil, marking the first instance of the Himalayan kingdom’s index being applied in another country.

A five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been inked between the Centre for Bhutan and Gross National Happiness Studies (CBS) and two Brazilian organizations — Aguama Ambiental Agência de Publicidade Ltda and Youniversality Treinamentos Ltda. The plan will be executed from this month at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Island of Fernando de Noronha, considered unique for its exceptional biodiversity and ecological features.

The project’s rationale stems from Brazil’s resolve to measure societal progress beyond the conventional economic yardsticks by giving emphasis to happiness, environmental balance, and sound governance.

The origin of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan can be traced to the late 1970s when King Jigme Singye Wangchuk coined the term, implying that sustainable development also ought to embrace a “holistic approach” by giving equal importance to non-economic aspects of happiness. It was formally adopted in the country in 2008.

The index has nine constituent domains such as psychological wellbeing, health, time use and balance, education, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and resilience, and living standards. These domains include as many as 33 indicators with the goal of focusing on diverse aspects of wellbeing and development.

Two years ago, the CBS released a revised version of the indexes that identify four categories of citizens, such as unhappy, narrowly happy, extensively happy, and deeply happy. The index is computed every five years to make it overlap with the five-year plans in the country. GNH influences the allocation of resources to the local governments, serving as one of the indicators in the resource sharing mechanism.

The socio-economic milieu in which GNH evolved and was implemented in Bhutan is different from the prevailing situation in Brazil, which could be a challenging task for the organizations engaged in implementing the project.

Bhutan has a small population of around 800,000 people and is among the most sparsely populated countries in the world. In 2020, the country ranked third in South Asia after Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the Human Development Index, and 21st on the Global Peace Index as the most peaceful country in South Asia four years later. Bhutan also ranks as South Asia’s second richest country after the Maldives, with a GDP per capita of $17,735.  An overwhelming majority of the population is engaged with agriculture, although services and industry contribute nearly 84 percent of the country’s GDP.

Brazil is the biggest country in Latin America in terms of size and population, with a GDP worth around a third of the regional total. It is also the third-largest emerging market after China and India. Brazil faces an unprecedented climate and biodiversity crisis. It has two biodiversity hotspots and a composite social configuration besides being the world’s most biodiverse country. Unlike Bhutan, the country has reported a very high rate of vegetation loss and extended droughts, and heat waves have severely affected the ecosystem and local societies.

The agreement was also quoted by the media as saying that during the early phase of the project’s implementation in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha island.

CBS will assist in the adaptation of the GNH Index to Brazil’s particular cultural and environmental context. The Bhutan Institute will deliver technical expertise, organize workshops, train the local staff in gathering data and its analysis, and conduct surveys. Local authorities will play a vital role in the project and collaborate with Aguama Group and CBS.  The agreement will also ensure that the new index takes into account the island’s small population, delicate ecology, and dependence on tourism.

The project will undergo six months of support and appraisal after the launch in Fernando de Noronha. The project’s final report is expected to be published by September 2025.  After this period, both organizations will assess the results and consider implementation of the initiative in other regions and communities in Brazil.