How should we measure the progress of development? What factors would you want measured if it was your life being analysed? Would you join the powerful lobby of macro-economic cheerleaders and focus on GDP? Would you follow Bhutan 's lead and track gross national happiness , focusing on spiritual wellbeing? Or would you put a premium on economic equality and inspect the Gini scores ? The multiplying toolbox of development statisticians reveals an increasingly wide range of indicators. Last year, the UN Human Development Report took on a new tool: the multidimensional poverty index (MPI). It looks at 10 variables, including access to good cooking fuel, schooling, electricity, nutrition and sanitation. The MPI "is like a high-resolution lens which reveals a vivid spectrum of challenges facing the poorest households", explained Sabina Alkire , director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and a developer of the index. "Before, you might know a person was poor but did not know if their children went to school, if they had a floor or if they cooked on wood." And on Tuesday, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the OECD releases its interactive Your Better Life Index , where you can see how your country performs on the topics you feel make for a good quality of life. It compares countries on 11 combinations: housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance. The tool, set up for the 34 OECD states, aims to hand over