Published on: 2026-05-07
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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Against the backdrop of sustained growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide and simultaneously increasing public dissatisfaction with political and economic systems, the United Nations presented a new progress measurement standard on Thursday.
The report “Counting what Counts”, published after a year of consultations, proposes a global roadmap for transitioning to more complex development indicators that reflect the real well-being of people and the state of the planet.
For decades, gross domestic product has remained the main benchmark for assessing economic success for states. However, as emphasized in the document, this indicator has long ceased to correspond to the complexity of modern challenges.
“Simply put,” the authors of the report point out, “GDP is the sum of everything that a country produces and sells, but economists have known for many years that this indicator does not paint the full picture.”
When calculating GDP, important aspects such as unpaid work caring for children or the elderly, the level of inequality, environmental costs, and depletion of natural resources are not taken into account. All this leads to governments focusing on goals that do not reflect the real quality of life, the report states.
“During my tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations, the volume of the world economy, adjusted for inflation, grew by more than 50 percent,” the UN chief recalled while commenting on the report’s publication.António Guterres. – However, in our world, there have been no commensurate improvements in many areas that bring benefits to humanity. Healthcare. Biodiversity. Job creation. Human rights. Equality. And even peace – for now, the number of conflicts has reached a level unseen since the time of World War II.
“Compass for People and Planet”
To fix the situation, the Secretary-General created a high-level Expert Group a year ago. The result of its work became a report whose authors call it a “compass for people and the planet.”
The document does not reject GDP as a tool for measuring economic activity, but it includes a warning from the person who created it: Nobel laureate Simon Kuznets noted already in the mid-20th century that GDP by itself is insufficient for assessing the welfare of a nation.
“Information Progress Panel”
The central element of the system proposed by experts is the “information progress panel” — a set of indicators reflecting the fundamental principles of sustainable development, the current well-being of the population, the level of equality and inclusiveness, as well as the resilience and ability of society to withstand crises. Such an approach, in the opinion of experts, will allow governments to make decisions that take into account not only economic growth but also social, environmental, and humanitarian aspects.
“In a world where deep inequality reigns, the UN Secretary-General does not consider whether the food reaches billionaires or the poor, whether they are fighting hunger, malnutrition, or overcoming poverty,” the UN Secretary-General noted.
The report proposes concrete steps for the implementation of a new system. One of the key directions will be the creation of national “progress information panels,” adapted to the priorities of each country and integrated into the processes of developing state policy. In addition, it is proposed to create a global UN accountability mechanism that will annually track the progress of countries within the framework of the new system and link it to the monitoring of Goals in the field of sustainable development.
“To take into account what really matters”
The authors emphasize that the transition to a new system is impossible without the participation of the academic community, civil society, the private sector, and the media. Their role is not only in research support but also in shaping public demand for more accurate and fair development indicators. As noted in the document, as GDP indicators continue to grow, so does the deep disappointment with existing management systems. It is precisely for this reason, experts believe, that the time has come to “take into account what truly matters.”
“Let’s take as a weapon a new system of indicators that complement the GDP and allow us to see the full picture of challenges and opportunities facing our world at this extraordinary moment in history,” concluded António Guterres.
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