Gross National Happiness Index 2022 survey results

The 2022 Gross National Happiness Index is the third national wave of the GNH survey published by the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies. Released in May 2023, the survey reported a national GNH score of 0.781, up from 0.743 in 2010 and 0.756 in 2015. Across the 2010 to 2022 period, the headline index rose by approximately 3.3 percentage points.

The survey was conducted in 2022 with a sample of approximately 11,052 respondents drawn from all 20 dzongkhags. It uses the same nine-domain, 33-indicator framework introduced in the 2010 wave, applying the Alkire-Foster sufficiency-adjusted methodology developed jointly with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). The lead authors of the 2022 report are Karma Ura, Sabina Alkire, Karma Wangdi and Tshoki Zangmo. The full report is published as GNH 2022 by the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies.

This article summarises the 2022 results, the methodology, the headline finding that 93.6% of Bhutanese met the threshold for being either deeply, extensively or narrowly happy, and the principal critiques of the survey design. For the broader concept and policy framework, see Gross National Happiness.

Headline results

• National GNH index: 0.781 in 2022 (0.743 in 2010, 0.756 in 2015)
• Population meeting the happiness threshold: 93.6% in 2022, up from 91.2% in 2015 and 90.8% in 2010
• Sample size: approximately 11,052 respondents
• Coverage: all 20 dzongkhags
• Indicators: 33 across nine domains

The four-tier classification

The Alkire-Foster method classifies each respondent into one of four tiers based on the proportion of weighted indicators they meet:

• Deeply happy: meets at least 77% of the 33 weighted indicators
• Extensively happy: meets between 66% and 77%
• Narrowly happy: meets between 50% and 66%
• Unhappy: meets less than 50%

The 2022 wave reported that the combined share of deeply happy and extensively happy Bhutanese had increased relative to 2015, and that the share of narrowly happy and unhappy respondents had fallen. The Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies framed this as evidence that policy investment in the nine domains had produced measurable improvements even through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nine domains

The GNH framework measures wellbeing across nine domains, each weighted equally in the headline index. The 2022 results reported gains in most domains since 2010, with the most consistent improvements in living standards and education, and slower change in time use and community vitality.

• Psychological wellbeing: measured through life satisfaction, positive and negative emotion, and spirituality.
• Health: covers self-reported health status, healthy days, disability and mental health.
• Education: literacy, schooling, knowledge of cultural traditions and Driglam Namzha, and value formation.
• Time use: hours of work, sleep, leisure and unpaid care work; this domain has historically been one of the lowest-scoring.
• Cultural diversity and resilience: participation in cultural events, language use (including Dzongkha and other native languages), engagement with traditional arts and Driglam Namzha.
• Good governance: measured through political participation, services, government performance and fundamental rights.
• Community vitality: donations, volunteering, family relationships, safety and the perceived sense of belonging.
• Ecological diversity and resilience: environmental responsibility, perception of pollution, urbanisation pressures and ecological knowledge.
• Living standards: household income, asset ownership, housing quality. This domain saw the largest single gain between 2010 and 2022.

Methodology

The survey uses a sufficiency-thresholds approach developed by Sabina Alkire and James Foster at OPHI. For each of the 33 indicators, a respondent either meets a sufficiency threshold or does not. The headline index is the weighted average of how many indicators each respondent meets, aggregated to the population level. The threshold-based design is intentionally distinct from continuous-scale instruments such as the OECD Better Life Index or the World Happiness Report.

The 2022 wave used face-to-face interviews conducted in Dzongkha, Nepali and other regional languages by enumerators trained by the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies. Sampling was stratified by dzongkhag, urban and rural, with weighting applied at the analysis stage to correct for non-response.

Critiques

The GNH Index has been the subject of methodological discussion since its introduction. Critiques typically fall into three categories.

• Threshold sensitivity: small changes in the sufficiency threshold for any given indicator can produce visible changes in the headline index. Critics have argued that this gives the survey designers significant influence over the published score.
• Sampling design: the GNH survey is conducted by a government-affiliated body. Although OPHI is involved in the methodology, the survey is not externally audited in the way the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study surveys are.
• Dissent indicators: the survey does not directly measure political dissent, freedom of expression, or the experience of communities outside the Drukpa Kagyu mainstream, including the Lhotshampa. Critics argue that this creates a structural ceiling on what the index can register about the wellbeing of minority communities.

The Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies has acknowledged the methodological discussions and has revised the indicator weightings between waves; the 2022 indicator set is largely the same as the 2015 set, allowing direct cross-wave comparison.

Comparison with other wellbeing measures

The GNH Index is one of several global wellbeing measures, alongside the OECD Better Life Index, the UN World Happiness Report, and the Sustainable Development Goals dashboard. The GNH framework is distinct in that it is operational policy infrastructure, not just a measurement instrument: the GNH Commission of Bhutan uses domain scores to screen government policy proposals, and the Royal Government of Bhutan has used the index in the design of its five-year plans since 2008.

References

1. 2022 GNH Survey Report — Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies (PDF)
2. GNH 2022 — Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative
3. Bhutan GNH 2022 full report — OPHI archive (PDF)
4. Beyond GDP: Bhutan's pursuit of wellbeing — Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network
5. Bhutan's GNH Index witnesses rise of 3.3 pc over past seven years — Devdiscourse
6. Bhutan: Citizen's wellbeing and happiness increase to 93.6% — Nation Thailand