Most measures of national progress put a high emphasis on the economic activity without too much concern for environmental limits or less tangible aspects, such as well-being. The HPI (Happy Planet Index) puts at the heart the idea that happiness is not necessarily about wealth but living long lives with a high experience of well-being within the environmental limits of the planet.

The reason for some high-income nations to score significantly below other nations is the ecological footprint left on the planet. It is important to note, however, that the data does not take into account internal inequality measures and human rights issues tied to some countries which are high up in the rankings. Similarly, this map illustrates the differences in the absolute HPI score and does not take into account the differences between the variables that determine the score.