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 five are in Asia, alongside the U.S. 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.

Graph and download economic data for Real gross domestic product per capita (A939RX0Q048SBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about per capita, real, GDP, and USA.

United States US:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 132,908.793 Intl $ in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 134,323.948 Intl $ for 2021. United States US:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 112,869.874 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 134,323.948 Intl $ in 2021 and a record low of 84,368.954 Intl $ in 1991. United States US:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Total Per Capita Real GDP United States Metropolitan Portion (DISCONTINUED) (PCRGMPUSMP) from 2001 to 2017 about metropolitan portion, per capita, real, industry, GDP, and USA.

Myanmar MM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 11.966 % in 2017. Myanmar MM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 11.966 % from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2017, with 1 observations. Myanmar MM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Myanmar – Table MM.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

In 2025, the United States had the largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of over 30 trillion U.S. dollars. China had the second largest economy, at around 19.23 trillion U.S. dollars. Recent adjustments in the list have seen Germany's economy overtake Japan's to become the third-largest in the world in 2023, while Brazil's economy moved ahead of Russia's in 2024. Global gross domestic product Global gross domestic product amounts to almost 110 trillion U.S. dollars, with the United States making up more than one-quarter of this figure alone. The 12 largest economies in the world include all Group of Seven (G7) economies, as well as the four largest BRICS economies. The U.S. has consistently had the world's largest economy since the interwar period, and while previous reports estimated it would be overtaken by China in the 2020s, more recent projections estimate the U.S. economy will remain the largest by a considerable margin going into the 2030s.The gross domestic product of a country is calculated by taking spending and trade into account, to show how much the country can produce in a certain amount of time, usually per year. It represents the value of all goods and services produced during that year. Those countries considered to have emerging or developing economies account for almost 60 percent of global gross domestic product, while advanced economies make up over 40 percent.

Finland FI:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 103,138.976 Intl $ in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 104,135.428 Intl $ for 2021. Finland FI:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 98,595.581 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 105,590.141 Intl $ in 2017 and a record low of 64,380.595 Intl $ in 1991. Finland FI:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Malta MT:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 90,276.452 Intl $ in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 88,512.021 Intl $ for 2021. Malta MT:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 79,553.490 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91,452.099 Intl $ in 2019 and a record low of 46,611.875 Intl $ in 1991. Malta MT:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malta – Table MT.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

In 2024 the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States increased by 2.8 percent compared to 2023.
What does GDP growth mean? Essentially, the annual GDP of the U.S. is the monetary value of all goods and services produced within the country over a given year. On the surface, an increase in GDP therefore means that more goods and services have been produced between one period than another. In the case of annualized GDP, it is compared to the previous year. In 2023, for example, the U.S. GDP grew 2.5 percent compared to 2022. Countries with highest GDP growth rate Although the United States has by far the largest GDP of any country, it does not have the highest GDP growth, nor the highest GDP at purchasing power parity. In 2021, Libya had the highest growth in GDP, growing more than 177 percent compared to 2020. Furthermore, Luxembourg had the highest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity, a better measure of living standards than nominal or real GDP.

In 2024, the U.S. GDP increased from the previous year to about 29.18 trillion U.S. dollars. Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all goods and services produced within a country. In 2024, the United States has the largest economy in the world. What is GDP? Gross domestic product is one of the most important indicators used to analyze the health of an economy. GDP is defined by the BEA as the market value of goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States, regardless of nationality. It is the primary measure of U.S. production. The OECD defines GDP as an aggregate measure of production equal to the sum of the gross values added of all resident, institutional units engaged in production (plus any taxes, and minus any subsidies, on products not included in the value of their outputs). GDP and national debt Although the United States had the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world in 2022, this does not tell us much about the quality of life in any given country. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic measurement that is thought to be a better method for comparing living standards across countries because it accounts for domestic inflation and variations in the cost of living. While the United States might have the largest economy, the country that ranked highest in terms of GDP at PPP was Luxembourg, amounting to around 141,333 international dollars per capita. Singapore, Ireland, and Qatar also ranked highly on the GDP PPP list, and the United States ranked 9th in 2022.

Norway NO:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 127,298.055 Intl $ in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 125,685.255 Intl $ for 2021. Norway NO:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 120,120.444 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 128,810.132 Intl $ in 2017 and a record low of 91,424.257 Intl $ in 1991. Norway NO:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Real Disposable Personal Income: Per Capita (A229RX0Q048SBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about disposable, personal income, per capita, personal, income, real, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Real consumption of fixed capital (A262RX1Q020SBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about fixed, capital, consumption, real, GDP, and USA.

Poland PL:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 78,124.230 Intl $ in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 73,701.918 Intl $ for 2021. Poland PL:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 51,537.178 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78,124.230 Intl $ in 2022 and a record low of 26,141.343 Intl $ in 1991. Poland PL:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Poland – Table PL.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Detailed information about each of the Predictors

1. Log GDP per capita is in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) adjusted to a constant 2017 international dollars, taken from the World Development Indicators (WDI) by the World Bank (version 17, metadata last updated on January 22, 2023). See Statistical Appendix 1 for more details. GDP data for 2022 are not yet available, so we extend the GDP time series from 2021 to 2022 using country-specific forecasts of real GDP growth from the OECD Economic Outlook No. 112 (November 2022) or, if missing, from the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects (last updated: January 10, 2023), after adjustment for population growth. The equation uses the natural log of GDP per capita, as this form fits the data significantly better than GDP per capita. 2. The time series for Healthy life expectancy at birth is constructed based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Observatory data repository, with data available for 2005, 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2019. To match this report’s sample period (2005-2022), interpolation and extrapolation are used. See Statistical Appendix 1 for more details. 3. Social support (0-1) is the national average of the binary responses (0=no, 1=yes) to the Gallup World Poll (GWP) question “If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them, or not?” 4. Freedom to make life choices (0-1) is the national average of binary responses to the GWP question “Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” 5. Generosity is the residual of regressing the national average of GWP responses to the donation question “Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?” on log GDP per capita. 6. Perceptions of corruption (0-1) are the average of binary answers to two GWP questions: “Is corruption widespread throughout the government or not?” and “Is corruption widespread within businesses or not?” Where data for government corruption are missing, the perception of business corruption is used as the overall corruption perception measure. 7. Positive affect is defined as the average of previous-day effects measures for laughter, enjoyment, and interest. The inclusion of interest (first added for World Happiness Report 2022), gives us three components in each of positive and negative affect, and slightly improves the equation fit in column 4. The general form for the affect questions is: Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? 8. Negative affect is defined as the average of previous-day effects measures for worry, sadness, and anger.

The World Happiness Report is a publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, powered by the Gallup World Poll data. The World Happiness Report reflects a worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and well-being as criteria for government policy. It reviews the state of happiness in the world today and shows how the science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness.

Life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll provide the basis for the annual happiness rankings. They are based on answers to the main life evaluation question. The Cantril ladder asks respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10 and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on a 0 to 10 scale. The rankings are from nationally representative samples over three years.

We use observed data on the six variables and estimates of their associations with life evaluations to explain the variation across countries. They include GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption. Our happiness rankings are not based on any index of these six factors – the scores are instead based on individuals’ own assessments of their lives, in particular, their answers to the single-item Cantril ladder life-evaluation question, much as epidemiologists estimate the extent to which life expectancy is affected by factors such as smoking, exercise, and diet.

The World Happiness Report and much of the growing international interest in happiness exist thanks to Bhutan. They sponsored Resolution 65/309, “Happiness: Towards a holistic approach to development,” adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 19 July 2011, inviting national governments to “give more importance to happiness and well-being in determining how to achieve and measure social and economic development.”

On 2 April 2012, chaired by Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley and Jeffrey D. Sachs, the first World Happiness Report was presented to review evidence from the emerging science of happiness for the ‘Defining a New Economic Paradigm: The Report of the High-L...

Graph and download economic data for Real consumption of fixed capital (A262RX1A020NBEA) from 1929 to 2024 about fixed, capital, consumption, real, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Real consumption of fixed capital: Government (A264RX1Q020SBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about fixed, capital, consumption, government, real, GDP, and USA.

Iran IR:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 52,421.637 Intl $ in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 53,509.211 Intl $ for 2021. Iran IR:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 47,005.232 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 56,214.300 Intl $ in 2011 and a record low of 41,564.156 Intl $ in 2001. Iran IR:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iran – Table IR.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Laos LA:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data was reported at 20,028.542 Intl $ in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20,207.827 Intl $ for 2021. Laos LA:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 10,242.155 Intl $ from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20,207.827 Intl $ in 2021 and a record low of 5,483.231 Intl $ in 1991. Laos LA:(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Person Employed: 2017 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Laos – Table LA.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2017 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank.;Weighted average;

Graph and download economic data for Real imports of goods: Capital goods, except automotive: Civilian aircraft, engines, and parts (B932RX1Q020SBEA) from Q1 2007 to Q2 2025 about engines, aircraft, parts, civilian, capital, imports, vehicles, goods, real, GDP, and USA.