By Livia Bizikova, IISD and Bhim Adhikari, IDRC

When the UN High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) released its report, ‘Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet,’ it brought decades of critique about the limitations of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the forefront of global policy discussions. The report proposed a concrete approach to complement GDP, which prompted reactions from the academic and expert community reflecting on its key findings and recommendations.

These reactions reveal a strong consensus that GDP alone is no longer sufficient to capture progress; however, there is little agreement on what should come next. Authors welcome the HLEG’s findings as an opportunity to advance global and national measures of progress, but agree that there are technical, political, and institutional challenges to these efforts.

This Policy Brief synthesizes recent articles published in response to the HLEG’s report and reflects on the state of the Beyond GDP debate following its release.

Enjoying this article? Make sure you always catch our coverage by subscribing to our SDG Update newsletter.

Broad consensus on GDP’s failings, shared sense of momentum

Across the board, there is strong agreement that GDP is no longer enough to capture what matters for people and the planet. There is also an appreciation of the approach presented in the HLEG report to use a multidimensional and universal framework covering well-being, equity, and sustainability – currently and in the future. The proposed dashboard of 31 indicators is generally welcomed as a practical way to translate this broader vision into measurable outcomes.

A particularly important strength highlighted in most recent articles is that the framework builds on existing data, especially the SDGs. Around half of the indicators are already in use, which significantly lowers the barrier to adoption and allows countries to move forward quickly.

Many also frame the report as an historic institutional milestone. Having responded to a mandate from Member States to move beyond GDP, a formal intergovernmental process has now begun, co-facilitated by Spain and Guyana. Several articles identify this process as one of the most important consequences of the report.

In this context, the Beyond GDP agenda is increasingly linked to broader systemic issues. Several articles connect it to the reform of the international financial architecture, arguing that GDP-based measures influence credit ratings, borrowing costs, and access to concessional finance.

GDP is simple versus a dashboard with many indicators

Despite substantial backing for the HLEG’s strategy, authors point to challenges that come with increasing the number of indicators concurrent with GDP to assess development needs, limiting their suitability for policymaking. To address this challenge, the HLEG’s report proposes a dashboard system that acknowledges that progress is multidimensional in nature.

Several articles point out that GDP’s enduring influence stems from its simplicity – a single, widely understood number. They argue that without an equally clear alternative, policymakers may continue to rely on GDP out of simplicity and/or convenience, with several articles identifying this issue as unresolved.

Indeed, the HLEG’s report itself acknowledges that the Group was unable to reach consensus on a headline aggregate indicator. While some authors argue that a composite index is necessary to compete with GDP, others caution that reducing well-being with all its dimensions such as poverty and inequality to a single-figure risk undermines the very purpose of moving beyond GDP.

This tension relates to the argument that 31 indicators may be difficult to operationalize. Some authors point out that the framework could be perceived as overly broad or diffuse, making it harder for governments to prioritize and communicate results. At the same time, there is broad agreement that progress is inherently multidimensional. It remains unclear how to measure a complex multidimensional system with a very small number of indicators, what methods of aggregation should be used, and how such a dashboard could be used in decision-making processes and communication.

From framework definition to implementation challenges

Both advocates and critics of the HLEG’s report agree there can be no progress on addressing the shortcomings of GDP without addressing implementation challenges. Several articles highlight capacity constraints as a major barrier. Many countries, especially low-income countries and small island States, lack the statistical infrastructure needed to track a comprehensive set of indicators. Without sustained financial and technical support, there is a risk that the framework will remain underutilized.

Political dynamics also play a critical role. While GDP provides a highly aggregated and simplified vision of progress, a multidimensional indicator framework summarized in a dashboard reflects the complexity of development, persistent inequalities, and governance weaknesses. Some countries may also prefer to continue to rely on metrics that are already in use or utilize indicators that are already available. This challenge is further exacerbated by the HLEG’s objective of making the framework universally applicable, nationally relevant, and globally comparable.

Authors also highlight aspects that are either overlooked or captured inadequately in the HLEG’s report, including:

Translating momentum into action

The Beyond GDP agenda has clearly gained traction, and attention is now shifting toward the next phase. The most widely shared recommendation in reviewed literature is the need to develop one or more headline indicators. Some authors call for further work in this area, often suggesting a scientific or expert body be created to lead the process. Lessons from past efforts, such as the Human Development Index (HDI), are frequently cited as valuable precedents.

At the same time, there is a strong emphasis on embedding the framework into real-world decision making. The key challenge is scaling these efforts globally and ensuring they influence actual policy choices. Recommendations include:

The literature shows that the HLEG has shifted the debate from whether GDP is sufficient to the harder task of defining, measuring, and implementing better measurement systems. Active debate among countries, stakeholders, and experts are still needed to resolve key tensions in the policy and institutional domains.

Way forward

We consider the HLEG report to have decisively advanced the Beyond GDP debate by shifting attention from whether alternatives are needed to the more complex question of how they can be implemented. This shift reflects a growing recognition that progress must be assessed through measures that capture human well-being, equity, and planetary sustainability.

At the same time, the synthesis of recent literature makes clear that this transition is far from straightforward. Technical challenges, capacity constraints, and the need for sustained political commitment will shape both the pace and the direction of implementation. A central tension remains unresolved: while GDP endures because of its simplicity, the Beyond GDP approach necessarily embraces multidimensionality, leaving open the question of how to develop clear and actionable headline indicators.

The ultimate test will be whether governments, institutions, and societies can translate this agenda into practical action and acceptable tools that guide decisions and reshape how progress is understood and measured. In this sense, Beyond GDP is not merely a measurement agenda but a broader call to redefine what progress and sustainability mean in the 21st century.

* * *

This Policy Brief is based on a review of the following publications:

The Policy Brief aims to inform and support sustainable development decision makers in their efforts to go beyond GDP. It is part of a project made possible through financial support provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

IISD’s e-course on GDP alternatives can be accessed here.. Information about IISD’s Beyond GDP Country Support Hub can be accessed here.