Figure 9.8 Bhutan: The happiest place on Earth? From this photo you might guess this to be the case. However, Bhutan has been criticized for some unhappy conditions, including the oppression of ethnic minority populations, pervasive poverty, and unemployment. Some claim Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index is merely a clever marketing ploy intended to lure tourists to visit the tiny mountain nation. (Keren Su/China Span/Alamy.)