New York, May 8, 2026 - The United Nations has introduced a major new proposal aimed at redefining how countries measure national progress, arguing that economic growth alone is no longer enough to reflect the real condition of societies and the planet.
The initiative was unveiled through a new report titled “Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet,” released by the UN Secretary-General’s Independent High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP. The report proposes a globally applicable dashboard of indicators designed to complement Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by incorporating broader measures of human well-being, social inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability.
For decades, GDP has remained the dominant benchmark guiding economic and policy decisions worldwide. However, the UN expert group warned that GDP alone provides an incomplete understanding of progress, as economies can continue to grow even while inequality deepens, ecosystems deteriorate, and social well-being declines.
According to the report, the growing climate crisis, widening social disparities, and increasing public dissatisfaction with economic and political systems have highlighted the urgent need for more comprehensive methods of measuring development.
“GDP ignores inequality and poverty. It does not capture environmental degradation. It misses non-monetary dimensions of well-being, like health, education and peace,” said Nora Lustig.
The report was prepared following a mandate from UN Member States under the 2024 agreement known as the Pact for the Future. The agreement called for the development of universally applicable indicators that go beyond traditional economic output measurements.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the report as a “landmark step” in addressing the long-standing overreliance on GDP in international policymaking. He noted that GDP was originally designed as a narrow economic metric but gradually evolved into one of the world’s most influential policy indicators.
At the centre of the proposal is a practical dashboard that countries can begin using immediately. The framework draws from existing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators and established statistical systems, making it easier for governments to integrate the measures into national planning and policy evaluation.
The proposed dashboard includes indicators related to well-being, environmental sustainability, equality, inclusion, and cross-border impacts, recognizing that the actions of one country often influence the well-being of people in other parts of the world.
The report also emphasizes that moving beyond GDP does not mean rejecting economic growth. Instead, it encourages governments to redefine progress in a way that balances economic performance with human development and environmental protection.
“Growth can mean many things - growth in education, health, arts and leisure,” said Kaushik Basu. “Moving beyond GDP means reflecting progress across the critical dimensions of well-being for people and planet.”
In its implementation roadmap, the report calls for coordinated action among governments, international institutions, statisticians, civil society organizations, and media institutions. It stresses that achieving meaningful progress beyond GDP will require long-term political commitment, stronger data systems, and broader public engagement.
The recommendations are expected to be discussed further by UN Member States during upcoming sessions of the General Assembly, where countries will consider future actions to adopt more comprehensive measures of national and global progress.
The High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP, established in May 2025, consists of 14 internationally recognized experts specializing in economics, sustainability, inequality, development policy, and public statistics.
The initiative is being viewed as a significant milestone in global efforts to align economic measurement systems with the goals of sustainable development, social justice, and environmental resilience in the 21st century.
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