In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and four are in Asia, alongside the U.S., Canada, and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.
In the build up to the Second World War, the United States was the major power with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world. In 1938, the United States also had the highest overall GDP in the world, and by a significant margin, however differences in GDP per person were much smaller. Switzerland In terms of countries that played a notable economic role in the war, the neutral country of Switzerland had the highest GDP per capita in the world. A large part of this was due to the strength of Switzerland's financial system. Most major currencies abandoned the gold standard early in the Great Depression, however the Swiss Franc remained tied to it until late 1936. This meant that it was the most stable, freely convertible currency available as the world recovered from the Depression, and other major powers of the time sold large amounts of gold to Swiss banks in order to trade internationally. Switzerland was eventually surrounded on all sides by Axis territories and lived under the constant threat of invasion in the war's early years, however Swiss strategic military planning and economic leverage made an invasion potentially more expensive than it was worth. Switzerland maintained its neutrality throughout the war, trading with both sides, although its financial involvement in the Holocaust remains a point of controversy. Why look at GDP per capita? While overall GDP is a stronger indicator of a state's ability to fund its war effort, GDP per capita is more useful in giving context to a country's economic power in relation to its size and providing an insight into living standards and wealth distribution across societies. For example, Germany and the USSR had fairly similar GDPs in 1938, whereas Germany's per capita GDP was more than double that of the Soviet Union. Germany was much more industrialized and technologically advanced than the USSR, and its citizens generally had a greater quality of life. However these factors did not guarantee victory - the fact that the Soviet Union could better withstand the war of attrition and call upon its larger population to replenish its forces greatly contributed to its eventual victory over Germany in 1945.
19 of the 20 countries with the lowest estimated GDP per capita in the world in 2023 are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Burundi is believed to have a GDP per capita of just 326.84 U.S. dollars - for reference, Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita in the world, at almost 130,000 U.S. dollars, which is around 400 times larger than that of Burundi (U.S. GDP per capita is over 250 times higher than Burundi's). Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa Many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa have been among the most impoverished in the world for over a century, due to lacking nutritional and sanitation infrastructures, persistent conflict, and political instability. These issues are also being exacerbated by climate change, where African nations are some of the most vulnerable in the world, as well as the population boom that will place over the 21st century. Of course, the entire population of Sub-Saharan Africa does not live in poverty, and countries in the southern part of the continent, as well as oil-producing states around the Gulf of Guinea, do have some pockets of significant wealth (especially in urban areas). However, while GDP per capita may be higher in these countries, wealth distribution is often very skewed, and GDP per capita figures are not representative of average living standards across the population. Outside of Africa Yemen is the only country outside of Africa to feature on the list, due to decades of civil war and instability. Yemen lags very far behind some of its neighboring Arab states, some of whom rank among the richest in the world due to their much larger energy sectors. Additionally, the IMF does not make estimates for Afghanistan, which would also likely feature on this list.
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Graph and download economic data for Constant GDP per capita for Low Income Countries (NYGDPPCAPKDLIC) from 1967 to 2023 about per capita, income, and GDP.
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The average for 2023 based on 11 countries was 10329.52 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Guyana: 23325.12 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 3168.73 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
In 2024, the United States was the G20 country with the largest gross domestic product per capita, with 68,200 international dollars per capita. The international dollar is a hypothetical currency accounting for purchasing power parity (PPP), assuming that the U.S. dollar would have the same value all around the world. Saudi Arabia had the second highest GDP per capita, followed by Germany. On the other hand, India had the lowest at only 8,000 dollars per capita.
This layer contains Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita - the total value of goods produced and services provided, divided by the total population in each country, from 1960 to 2016, expressed in 2016 US Dollars. Expressing the GDP in "per capita" terms allows for better comparisons across countries. Total GDP is available in an accompanying layer. GDP as a measure has been largely criticized as an incomplete measure of productivity and wealth, as it does not take into account production in the informal economy, quality of life, degradation to the environment, or income distribution. However, GDP is an internationally comparable measure, used in everything from banks setting interest rates to political campaign speeches.Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
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Key information about China GDP Per Capita
In 2023, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas were the states with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean. The average GDP generated per person in the Bahamas amounted to 34,749 U.S. dollars, whereas the average wealth created per capita in Puerto Rico was estimated at around 34,749 U.S. dollars. In that same year, this region's lowest GDP per capita was that of Haiti, at less than 1,693 U.S. dollars per person per year. The largest economies in Latin America
GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It is an important indicator to measure the economic strength of a country and the average wealth of its population. By far, the two largest economies in the region are Brazil and Mexico, both registering GDPs three times bigger than the third place, Argentina. Nonetheless, they are the two most populated countries by a great margin.
Key economic indicators of Latin America
Latin America emerges as an important region in the world economy, as of 2023, around 7.3 percent of the global GDP, a similar share to the Middle East. Nevertheless, the economic development of most of its countries has been heavily affected by other factors, such as corruption, inequality, inflation, or crime and violence. Countries such as Venezuela, Suriname, and Argentina are constantly ranking among the highest inflation rates in the world. While Jamaica, Ecuador, and Haiti rank as some of the most crime-ridden states.
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The average for 2023 based on 7 countries was 57647 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 74578 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Japan: 46158 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
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Data from 1st of June 2022. For most recent GDP data, consult dataset nama_10_gdp. Gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure for the economic activity. It is defined as the value of all goods and services produced less the value of any goods or services used in their creation. The volume index of GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) is expressed in relation to the European Union average set to equal 100. If the index of a country is higher than 100, this country's level of GDP per head is higher than the EU average and vice versa. Basic figures are expressed in PPS, i.e. a common currency that eliminates the differences in price levels between countries allowing meaningful volume comparisons of GDP between countries. Please note that the index, calculated from PPS figures and expressed with respect to EU27_2020 = 100, is intended for cross-country comparisons rather than for temporal comparisons."
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Constant GDP per capita for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean was 7610.66549 2010 U.S. $ in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Constant GDP per capita for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean reached a record high of 8291.73809 in January of 2014 and a record low of 3146.02676 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Constant GDP per capita for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.
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GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
In 2023, Singapore had the highest GDP per capita across the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 84.7 thousand U.S. dollars. In comparison, Myanmar had an estimated GDP per capita of approximately 1189.8 U.S. dollars that year.
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The Gross Domestic Product per capita in China was last recorded at 22137.60 US dollars in 2023, when adjusted by purchasing power parity (PPP). The GDP per Capita, in China, when adjusted by Purchasing Power Parity is equivalent to 125 percent of the world's average. This dataset provides - China GDP per capita PPP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.
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GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
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Tabular dataset containing descriptors like min, max, median of GDP per capita for many countries from the 1960s up to 2019, combined with average yearly sunshine hours extrapolated from readings in some cities of those countries.
Metadata according to the W3C's CSV on Web Recommendation, using the Dublin Core vocabulary.
The statistic shows gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the Maghreb countries from 2019 to 2022, with projections up until 2029. GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year. It is considered to be a very important indicator of the economic strength of a country and a positive change is an indicator of economic growth. The Maghreb region in North Africa comprises Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. In 2022, GDP per capita in Algeria amounted to around 4,306.82 U.S. dollars.
Russia had the highest GDP per capita based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) among the presented Eurasian countries between 2010 and 2023 and was forecast to remain in the leading position in the following years. However, Kazakhstan was predicted to close the gap with Russia slowly by 2029. What are the largest economies in Eurasia? At an estimated 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars, Russia had the largest GDP among the Eurasian countries in 2024. The country generated most of its wealth through its energy sector, given that a high percentage of its industrial and agricultural sectors was privatized in the 1990s. Ranking second and third were Kazakhstan and Ukraine, whose GDP amounted to approximately 293 billion U.S. dollars and 184 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Looking at national debt, Ukraine demonstrated the highest ratio to GDP, at over 95 percent in 2024. Despite exhibiting the second-lowest figure in the region, Russia’s national debt was forecast to increase in the years until 2029. Inflation in Eurasia The highest inflation rate in Eurasia was recorded in Uzbekistan, at around 10 percent in 2024. It was followed by Kazakhstan and Russia, where consumer prices were estimated to grow by approximately 8.6 percent and 7.9 percent relative to the previous year, respectively. As of January 2024, monthly expenses on the basic food basket occupied around 36 percent of the official minimum wage in Moldova. At the same time, in Uzbekistan, the minimum wage was just enough to cover basic food expenses.
Czechia had the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) among Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in 2024, at an estimated 50 thousand 2017 international U.S. dollars. It was followed by Slovenia and Lithuania. The lowest figure among the presented CEE countries was recorded in Ukraine. In 2029, Poland's GDP per capita in PPP terms was forecast to reach approximately 53.6 thousand 2017 international U.S. dollars.
In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and four are in Asia, alongside the U.S., Canada, and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.