Unorthodox Ways to Measure Economic Progress

There are myriad ways to measure economic progress using complicated numbers, and fancy charts.

As a non-economist, I had to find ways that are easier to digest. In this post, I’ll show you how high divorce rates, obesity, and clinical depression mean that an economy is doing well.

High divorce rates

Antoine de Maximy is a French traveler who shares global cultures through videos. In one episode, he visited the Emirates and discussed women’s limited public freedom with a local. The man explained that restricting women’s freedom helps avoid societal issues, like high divorce rates, as seen in the West.

This led me to appreciate higher divorce rates in the West, where women can leave abusive marriages without severe consequences. While some divorces occur for trivial reasons, women’s rights have boosted economic progress by enabling their workforce participation.

In my country, Mauritius, with no natural resources and a small population, both men and women working is crucial for progress. Less domestic abuse, better workforce availability, and a richer economy make a high divorce rate quite appealing.

The Emirates, while keeping women in the kitchen, must partake in slave labor to boost their economy, which isn’t a sustainable strategy in the long-term.

As you can see, a high divorce rate could be a sign of a healthy economy.

Obesity

Obesity is a major health risk linked to chronic diseases. Easy access to food and less physical labor contribute to excess fat storage.

Healthy economies no longer worry about famines, which are more destructive than obesity. Modern tasks are less physically demanding, unlike the past when people ploughed fields in a fasted state, as seen in the Great Famine of 1876-1878. In comparison, famine-stricken people would benefit from obesity.

Today, scientists develop medicines like GLP-1 agonists to help obese individuals maintain healthy weight without losing the comfort of living in a healthy economy. Obesity and innovation go hand in hand, another sign of economic growth.

Clinical depression

The number of people being diagnosed with depression is on the rise. It makes sense because apart from trifle matters, there’s nothing to worry about. Like with obesity, a modern economy doesn’t have its citizens worry about the acquisition of food, nor having to perform much work to live a comfortable life. Without purpose, people get depressed.

The fact that people are able to live without purpose, instead of partaking in hard physical labor, or petty crime, or going to fight in absurd wars, is a clear sign of an booming economy.

Conclusion

As mentioned in this post, wealthy economies often face unique issues: increased divorce rates leading to unstable families, higher rates of obesity compared to underweight issues, and more self-inflicted harm rather than harm caused by environmental factors.

These challenges are generally more manageable than those in economies that struggle to ensure the well-being of their citizens. Issues like divorce and depression can be mitigated by improving access to therapy and promoting social interactions outside the family unit. Obesity can be addressed through exercise and medication.

So, there you have it—three unconventional indicators of economic progress. Who would have thought?