What Civilisations Count
How do you measure a better future?
It is one of the oldest questions in human history, and one that remains remarkably difficult to
answer.
Today, the United Nations concludes the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, where leaders from around the world have spent the past week reviewing progress against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This year, 36 countries presented Voluntary National Reviews, contributing to more than 400 national reviews submitted since the process began a decade ago. Collectively, they represent one of the world's most ambitious attempts to define and measure, what progress looks like.
At first glance, it is an exercise in statistics. In reality, it is an exercise in values. Every number answers a question.
The more interesting question is who decided it was worth asking.
For centuries, societies have advanced not simply because they measured more, but because they measured differently.
Ancient Egypt measured the height of the Nile because survival depended upon it.
The Industrial Revolution measured output, productivity and efficiency because prosperity depended upon them.
The twentieth century introduced GDP, inflation and unemployment, reflecting economies increasingly defined by growth and stability.
Today, alongside economic performance, nations measure biodiversity, carbon emissions, educational attainment, gender equality, digital access and wellbeing.
Not because numbers have become more sophisticated. Because our understanding of progress has evolved.
The same evolution is visible in education.
A generation ago, universities largely spoke about enrolment, graduation rates and research publications. Today they also measure employability, entrepreneurship, student wellbeing, sustainability, civic engagement and societal impact.
None of this replaces traditional metrics. It expands our definition of success. The lesson extends well beyond education.
Richard Branson has frequently spoken about the importance of measuring the right things, not simply the easiest things.
Every metric reflects a strategic choice. It reflects a belief about what creates value.
Measure research citations and institutions invest in research.
Measure graduate employability and they strengthen employer partnerships.
Measure student wellbeing and they redesign the educational experience.
What organisations reward, they reinforce.
What leaders choose to measure rarely changes behaviour overnight. But over time, it changes conversations.
Conversations become priorities. Priorities become investment. Investment shapes culture.
And culture ultimately determines outcomes.
Artificial intelligence will soon make measurement almost effortless. Dashboards will become richer. Predictions more accurate. Reporting almost instantaneous.
For the first time, information may become abundant. Judgement will remain scarce.
Perhaps that is the real significance of today's global review. Leadership has never been about producing the perfect dashboard.
It has been about deciding what deserves to appear on it. Because every metric is a declaration of intent.
It shapes attention. Attention shapes investment. Investment shapes behaviour. Behaviour shapes culture.
And over time, it quietly determines the future an institution creates.
Every era is remembered not only by what it achieved, but by what it chose to count.
Show me what an institution measures, and I'll tell you what it is becoming.
