Gross National Happiness: How Bhutan Reached Vermont

Part of our USA and Bhutan connection hub.

In 2008, Bhutan hosted an international conference on Gross National Happiness in its capital, Thimphu. Among the 66 participants were six residents of Vermont — a state that, coincidentally, shares almost exactly Bhutan’s population of around 750,000 people. They didn’t just attend and go home with a nice idea. What happened next became one of the more unlikely policy exports in recent American history.

The Idea Behind Gross National Happiness

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is Bhutan’s founding governing philosophy — the idea that a nation’s progress should be measured not just by economic output, but by the genuine wellbeing of its people. It’s built around nine measured domains: psychological wellbeing, health, education, time use, cultural diversity, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity, and living standards. Far from being tourist branding, GNH is written into Bhutan’s actual policy machinery — major policy proposals are screened by the Gross National Happiness Commission for their likely impact on these domains.

From a Conference Room in Thimphu to State Law

In 2009, Vermonters who had attended the conference formed Gross National Happiness USA, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing the concept home in a serious, structural way — not as a slogan, but as real public policy. What followed:

• Vermont, 2012: The legislature passed a law establishing a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), an alternative measure of wellbeing tracked alongside traditional economic data. Tufts University’s alumni magazine credits the efforts of Gross National Happiness USA for the law’s passage, and Vermont was the first state to put a GPI into law.
• Maryland: Governor Martin O’Malley’s administration also adopted the GPI as an official state policy tool. Sources date this between 2010 and 2013, and Maryland is generally credited as the first state to adopt it.
• Beyond the states: Cities including Seattle and Santa Monica launched their own wellbeing initiatives.

The GPI is a separate economic measure from Bhutan’s GNH, but both start from the same question: how should a country measure progress beyond GDP? On the world stage, Bhutan took that question to the United Nations. In July 2011, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 65/309, “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development,” by consensus. Bhutan introduced the resolution and 68 member states co-sponsored it. It invites countries to develop additional measures of wellbeing to guide their public policies. A year later, the Assembly designated 20 March as the International Day of Happiness.

Why This Matters for Your Trip

Knowing this changes how you might experience Bhutan. GNH isn’t tourist branding — it’s the actual governing philosophy behind decisions you’ll notice everywhere on your trip: the country’s constitutional commitment to maintain 60% forest cover, the deliberate “high value, low volume” tourism model that keeps your own visit uncrowded and meaningful, the free healthcare and education systems funded in part by the Sustainable Development Fee every visitor pays. For American travelers, there’s a genuine full-circle quality to seeing, in person, the philosophy that has shaped policy conversations back home.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gross National Happiness?

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is Bhutan’s founding governing philosophy, measuring national progress across nine domains of wellbeing rather than economic output alone. Major policy proposals in Bhutan are screened against it by the Gross National Happiness Commission.

What is the connection between Bhutan and Vermont?

In 2008, six Vermont residents were among the 66 participants at an international Gross National Happiness conference in Bhutan. Gross National Happiness USA formed in 2009, and its advocacy is credited with Vermont’s 2012 law establishing a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI).

Has Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness philosophy influenced US policy?

In part. Gross National Happiness USA’s advocacy is credited with Vermont’s 2012 Genuine Progress Indicator law, and Maryland adopted the GPI as a state policy tool. The GPI is a separate economic measure from Bhutan’s GNH, but the US wellbeing movement shares the question Bhutan has asked for decades: how to measure progress beyond GDP. Cities including Seattle and Santa Monica have also launched wellbeing initiatives.

Is Gross National Happiness the same as the Genuine Progress Indicator?

No. Gross National Happiness is Bhutan’s own framework, measured across nine domains. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a separate economic measure that adjusts consumption figures for social and environmental factors. Vermont and Maryland adopted the GPI, and Gross National Happiness USA advocated for it in Vermont.

Sources

• Vermont Public, “When It Comes To Happiness, Community Is Key” (2014) — the 2008 conference had 66 participants, six of them Vermonters.
• Tufts University, “The Pursuit of Happiness” (2015) — Gross National Happiness USA’s role in Vermont’s 2012 GPI law, and Maryland’s adoption.
• BuildingGreen, “Genuine Progress Indicators” (2012) — Vermont’s legislation and Maryland’s earlier GPI.
• University of Vermont, 2017 Vermont Happiness Report — Gross National Happiness USA formed in 2009.
• Resilience.org, “Building a movement for happiness” (2014) — Vermont and Bhutan populations, and the Gross National Happiness Commission.
• Royal Government of Bhutan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press release on UN resolution A/RES/65/309 — Bhutan’s role in the 2011 resolution and the International Day of Happiness.
• United Nations, General Assembly resolution A/RES/65/309, “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development” (adopted 19 July 2011) — the resolution text.
• Prime Minister of Bhutan, statement to the UN General Assembly (23 September 2011) — the resolution was introduced by Bhutan, sponsored by 68 member states and adopted without a vote.
• Gross National Happiness USA — the organisation’s own site.

This is one of several real connections between the two countries — explore more on our USA and Bhutan hub page, or see the full practical guide to traveling to Bhutan from the USA.