Beyond-GDP indicators
Happy Planet Index (HPI)
An index measuring how efficiently countries convert environmental resources into long, happy lives — combining wellbeing, life expectancy, and ecological footprint.
Definition
The Happy Planet Index is a measure of the ecological efficiency with which good lives are achieved, combining three metrics: experienced wellbeing (life satisfaction), life expectancy, and ecological footprint per capita. Conceptually it is the ratio of inequality-adjusted happy life years to per-capita ecological footprint. First published in 2006 by the New Economics Foundation, it has appeared in several global editions covering around 140–180 countries.
References
components and interpretation
construction and history
Overview
What it means
The HPI inverts the usual league table: it does not measure the happiest or richest country, but which countries deliver long, satisfying lives at low planetary cost. Latin American countries typically score highest, wealthy high-footprint nations mid-table, showing that high wellbeing does not require high resource consumption — the empirical core of its argument against GDP-led policy.
How it is used
The index is cited in wellbeing-economy and beyond-GDP debates, sustainability communication, and comparative policy analysis of development pathways.
Why it matters
It demonstrates that the goal of development — long, happy lives — is empirically separable from resource throughput.
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