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.

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.

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 statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the main industrialized and emerging countries in current prices in 2023. All figures are estimates. This year, the gross domestic product per capita in China amounted to approximately 12,597.31 U.S. dollars.

Seychelles had the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Africa as of 2024. The value amounted to 21.87 thousand U.S. dollars. Mauritius followed with around 13 thousand U.S. dollars, whereas Gabon registered 9.31 thousand U.S. dollars. GDP per capita is calculated by dividing a country’s GDP by its population, meaning that some of the largest economies are not ranked within the leading ten. Impact of COVID-19 on North Africa’s GDP When looking at the GDP growth rate in Africa in 2024, Libya had the largest estimated growth in Northern Africa, a value of 7.8 percent compared to the previous year. Niger and Senegal were at the top of the list with rates of 10.4 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the economy was severe. The growth of the North African real GDP was estimated at minus 1.1 percent in 2020. However, estimations for 2022 looked much brighter, as it was set that the region would see a GDP growth of six percent, compared to four percent in 2021.
Contribution of Tourism Various countries in Africa are dependent on tourism, contributing to the economy. In 2023, travel and tourism were estimated to contribute 182.6 billion U.S. dollars, a clear increase from 96.5 in 2020 following COVID-19. As of 2024, South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt led tourism in the continent according to the Travel & Tourism Development Index.

Out of all 50 states, New York had the highest per-capita real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, at 90,730 U.S. dollars, followed closely by Massachusetts. Mississippi had the lowest per-capita real GDP, at 39,102 U.S. dollars. While not a state, the District of Columbia had a per capita GDP of more than 214,000 U.S. dollars. What is real GDP? A country’s real GDP is a measure that shows the value of the goods and services produced by an economy and is adjusted for inflation. The real GDP of a country helps economists to see the health of a country’s economy and its standard of living. Downturns in GDP growth can indicate financial difficulties, such as the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, when the U.S. GDP decreased by 2.5 percent. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on U.S. GDP, shrinking the economy 2.8 percent. The U.S. economy rebounded in 2021, however, growing by nearly six percent. Why real GDP per capita matters Real GDP per capita takes the GDP of a country, state, or metropolitan area and divides it by the number of people in that area. Some argue that per-capita GDP is more important than the GDP of a country, as it is a good indicator of whether or not the country’s population is getting wealthier, thus increasing the standard of living in that area. The best measure of standard of living when comparing across countries is thought to be GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) which uses the prices of specific goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of a countries currency.

The statistic displays the global gross domestic product (GDP) per capita from 2013 to 2023. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. In 2023, global GDP per capita amounted to about 13,169.6 U.S. dollars. Gross domestic product and global economy The global economy suffered a major impact with the global financial crisis of 2008 but after a drop in global gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2009, the global economy recovered and reached record-high GDP per capita prices in 2013. Global GDP per capita has doubled over the past decade. Gross domestic product of industrial countries and emerging and developing countries combined is greater than GDP of all the other selected global regions combined, indicating economic prosperity and recovery despite some financial backsets. In the main industrialized and emerging countries, gross domestic product per capita is highest for the United States, followed by Germany and France. In the European Union, despite the financial crisis of 2008, GDP per capita has improved significantly. Another member of the European Union, Luxembourg, even reports the largest GDP per capita worldwide, followed by non-EU members Norway and Qatar.

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.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the United States from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, the gross domestic product per capita in the United States amounted to around 81,632.25 U.S. dollars. Thus, the United States is one of the countries with the largest GDP per capita worldwide. See the U.S. GDP growth rate here and the US GDP for further information. For comparison, per capita GDP in China had reached about 5,553 U.S. dollars in 2011.

Gross domestic product of the United States

The gross domestic product (GDP) of a country is an economic key figure, as it represents the market value of goods and services produced in a country within one year. The United States’ GDP) is increasing consistently, and it is expected to continue growing. On a global scale, the U.S. share of GDP adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity has been in the range of 20 percent over the last few years, give or take a few percentage points. The United States has the largest GDP worldwide, with a significant lead over China, Japan and Germany. Gross domestic product per capita is annual GDP divided by the average population from the same year, which allows for a GDP calculation per inhabitant of a country. Thus, a country with a high GDP, like the United States, can still have a low GDP per capita. Consequently, if compared to other countries, the United States does not rank among the top ten on this list .

In 2021, the BRICS countries with the highest estimated GDP per capita were Russia and China, with between 12,000 and 13,000 U.S. dollars per person. Brazil and South Africa's GDP per capita are thought to be closer to the 7,000 mark, while India's GDP per capita is just over 2,000 U.S. dollars. This a significant contrast to figures for overall GDP, where China has the largest economy by a significant margin, while India's is the second largest. The reason for this disparity is due to population size. For example, both China's population and overall GDP are roughly 10 times larger than those of Russia, which results in them having a comparable GDP per capita. Additionally, India's population is 23 times larger than South Africa's, but it's GDP is just seven times larger; this results in South Africa having a higher GDP per capita than India, despite it being the smallest of the BRICS economies.

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.

In 1820, Western Europe was the region with the highest GDP per capita, however the non-European developed countries of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand saw their average GDP per capita grow much higher by the outbreak of the First World War. These developed nations and Europe were the only regions where GDP per capita was higher than the global average, while all other regions were below (although Latin America did have an above average GDP in 1820).

In 2022, Luxembourg had the largest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity. The country ranked first with a PPP-adjusted GDP per capita of about 141,000 international dollars. Ireland and Singapore followed in the places behind.

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.

Until 2014, Norway's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was a lot higher than the other Nordic countries'. However, after the fall of the oil price in 2014, Norway's GDP per capita decreased, but is still the highest in the region, and it increased to over 105,000 U.S. dollars in 2022. Moreover, while Iceland had the lowest GDP per capita together with Finland in 2015, it had the second highest in 2023 ahead of Denmark. The Nordic countries have some of the highest GDPs per capita in the world.

The statistic shows gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the Caucasus countries from 2019 to 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. Caucasus stands for the mountain range between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, encompassing areas in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia. In 2021, GDP per capita in Armenia amounted to around 4,685.18 U.S. dollars.

The statistic shows gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the MENA countries in 2023. 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 MENA region in North Africa and Asia comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In 2023, the estimated GDP per capita in Algeria amounted to around 5,221.81 U.S. dollars.