Bhutan is marching forward, saying happiness is much more important than economic growth. When global recession sent growth plunging in many countries, Bhutan witnessed a GDP growth rate of 8.2 per cent, according to an estimate by the Asian Development Bank in 2012. Back in the 1980s, Bhutan was much poorer than India. Today, Bhutanese are richer than Indians: In 2012, its per capita GDP was $2,986 against India’s nearly $1,500.
