The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan measures its economic development and growth not with the conventional measure of GDP, but with the holistic, multidimensional measure of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is measured according based on economic self-reliance, environmental preservation, cultural promotion and good governance. The governmentâ€™s goal is to balance economic progress with the spiritual and emotional well-being of the people.

Bhutan is known for shunning conventional development and going its own way. The first foreign tourists didnâ€™t come to the country until 1974, and the government allows only 9,000 to enter per year, each of whom pay fees of $200 per day. Television and the Internet arrived only in 1999. Most recently, the Government of Bhutan made it illegal to sell tobacco or smoke in public, becoming the first officially non-smoking nation.