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Press release<\/span><\/p>\n Â鶹APP proposes new global dashboard to measure progress beyond GDP<\/strong><\/p>\n Secretary<\/em>–General\u2019s High<\/em>–Level Expert Group sets out a set of indicators to put people and planet at the centre of decision<\/em>–making<\/em><\/p>\n New York, 7 May 2026 \u2014 The UN Secretary-General\u2019s Independent High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP today released a report proposing the first global blueprint for how countries can assess progress that complements Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Expert Group\u2019s report presents a dashboard of globally applicable indicators that provides a new compass of progress for people and planet.<\/p>\n For decades, GDP has guided major policy decisions at every level worldwide. While it remains an essential measure of economic output, relying on GDP alone risks an incomplete picture of progress \u2014 one where the economy can grow even as critical dimensions of well-being, like safety or environmental quality, deteriorate sharply.<\/p>\n The case for a broader understanding of progress has never been more urgent. People around the world are growing disillusioned with economic and political systems, and environmental crises are intensifying by the day \u2014 all while GDP continues to climb.<\/p>\n \u201cGDP ignores inequality and poverty. It does not capture environmental degradation. It misses non-monetary dimensions of well-being, like health, education and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n –\u00a0Nora Lustig, Co-Chair, High-Level Expert Group \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n A practical tool for immediate use<\/strong><\/p>\n Titled\u00a0\u201cCounting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>the report responds to a mandate from UN Member States under a 2024 agreement called\u00a0the Pact for the Future<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>to develop a limited number of country-owned, universally applicable indicators that complement and go beyond GDP.<\/p>\n \u201cThis report is a landmark step in correcting a longstanding blind spot in measuring progress: the over-reliance on GDP. It was designed to be a narrow metric of economic output, yet became one of the most consequential numbers for international policy \u2014something its architects never intended. This report makes concrete recommendations for complementary indicators that measure what matters most to people and planet.\u201d<\/p>\n –\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, UN Secretary-General<\/em><\/p>\n At the report\u2019s core is a concise, ready-to-use dashboard designed to display a comprehensive assessment of progress, incorporating well-being, equity and inclusion, and sustainability. Drawing on the existing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) global indicator framework and established statistical systems, the dashboard allows governments to begin using it immediately to inform their decision-making.<\/p>\n The report also draws attention to areas that determine progress but that are often overlooked, such as cross-country spillovers, in recognition that well-being in one country is often influenced by activities and decisions in other countries.<\/p>\n Building on decades of efforts, including the 2030 Agenda and the Pact for the Future, this report represents a milestone in a generational project needed to move beyond GDP.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowth can mean many things. Growth in education. Growth in arts and leisure. Better health. Moving Beyond GDP does not mean eschewing economic growth \u2014 but instead reflecting progress across the critical dimensions of well-being for people and planet. This is what we hope to capture in our report.\u201d<\/p>\n –\u00a0Kaushik Basu, Co-Chair, High-Level Expert Group \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Next steps for Implementation<\/strong><\/p>\n The report outlines a clear roadmap of what is needed to go beyond GDP. In addition to a data agenda, the report provides actionable recommendations for different stakeholders\u2014 from governments, the multilateral system, the statistical community, and civil society and media. It recognizes that moving beyond GDP needs an all-hands-on-deck approach, with sustained commitment by different stakeholders.<\/p>\n Its recommendations will now be discussed by Member States in the General Assembly to agree on a plan to advance measures of progress at national and international levels.<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/p>\n About the High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Beyond GDP<\/strong><\/p>\n