Science can take the lead in making better measures of economic growth

"“Growth at any cost leaves us all poorer.” Those were the words of United Nations secretary-general António Guterres last week at the launch of a landmark report, Counting What Counts, which he commissioned from a team of researchers and policymakers ( www.un.org/beyondgdp). It proposes how countries can move beyond gross domestic product (GDP), the world's main indicator for the health of economies."

"GDP has its roots in a concept proposed in the 1930s (see go.nature.com/4324jwf), and GDP growth has since become the main economic-policy objective for most governments. Drops in GDP are often seen by markets, the media and commentators as a sign of government incompetence. However, this kind of growth has coincided with persistent inequality and environmental degradation worldwide, as the report says. If economic development is to benefit as many people as possible and to be sustainable in the long term, a measure is needed that captures these factors - and GDP does not."

"The authors have compiled 31 indicators, covering human rights, peace and respect for the planet, that they recommend governments measure (see Nature https://doi.org/q57n; 2026). Of these, 15 are already indicators for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The report also recommends that a committee of scientists be appointed to work on one or more headline indicators that could aggregate variables into one quantity, much as GDP does. The governments of Spain and Guyana have been handed the baton to take the recommendations forwards."

"The invitation of scientists to participate in the process is a welcome development, because until now the theory and application of GDP has mostly been the preserve of economists and economic statisticians. Any effort to distil the"

GDP is the dominant measure of economic health and has shaped policy objectives for many governments. GDP growth is often treated as a sign of competence, yet it has coincided with persistent inequality and environmental degradation. A UN-commissioned report proposes moving beyond GDP by using a broader set of indicators that capture human rights, peace, and respect for the planet. The report compiles 31 recommended indicators, including 15 aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. It also recommends appointing scientists to develop headline indicators that can aggregate multiple variables, similar to GDP. Spain and Guyana are tasked with advancing the recommendations.

Read at Nature