Measuring Happiness Beyond GDP: A Comparative Study of Five Asian Nations

This research paper estimates and compares happiness levels in five Asian countries - Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Vietnam. The Happiness Index is based on five variables: economic stability, health, education and growth, trust in government, and social well-being. Data was sourced from publicly available international indicators and normalized using MinMax scaling to ensure comparability across countries. Each variable was then weighted based on its relevance to overall well-being. The study found that Bhutan scored the highest, followed by Sri Lanka and Thailand, while India ranked lowest. These results highlight the influence of non-economic factors such as public trust, health, and social well-being on national happiness. Ultimately, this paper emphasizes the importance of adopting holistic measures of happiness to move beyond GDP as the sole indicator of progress. The Happiness Index offers a way for governments to understand what truly matters to people and design better policies that improve real lives—not just economic figures.