Progress has often been measured through growth: higher incomes, larger economies and expanding consumption. Yet many of the most important aspects of life are not captured easily by those metrics.
Economic output can rise while inequality widens, ecosystems degrade or mental health declines. This has led to growing debate about whether traditional indicators are sufficient guides to social advancement.
Governments, researchers and organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have explored broader measures that include wellbeing, sustainability and quality of life.
The argument is not that growth is irrelevant. Prosperity remains essential for reducing poverty and funding public services.
Rather, critics say growth alone can become a narrow proxy for human flourishing.
The debate has practical consequences. What societies measure often shapes what policymakers prioritise.
If success is defined only by output, some problems remain invisible. If broader indicators are adopted, policy goals may change as well.
Experts suggest the future of progress will depend less on finding one perfect metric and more on accepting that complex societies require multiple ways of judging success.
In that sense, progress is not only about moving forward — but about deciding what counts as forward at all.
