Equating a high GDP with "better off" is problematic. It could be backed by products that nobody wants (wars and such) or it could be at the expense of other q

Equating a high GDP with "better off" is problematic. It could be backed by products that nobody wants (wars and such) or it could be at the expense of other quality of life metrics such that the juice is not worth the squeeze. It's like lifting weights to get huge instead of to get strong or healthy, you can end up some undesirable results.