Historical chart and dataset showing World GDP per capita by year from 1960 to 2023.

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 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.

GDP per capita growth (annual %) in World was reported at 1.8895 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - GDP per capita growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

GDP per capita (current US$) in World was reported at 13170 USD in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - GDP per capita - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

At the turn of the twentieth century, GDP per capita in Europe was approximately 59 percent higher than the global GDP per capita. This figure dropped over the first half of the century, to 152 percent in 1950. The period between the beginning of the First World War and the end of the Second World War (1914-1945) marked the period in European history with the lowest economic growth in modern history; this was followed by the period with the fastest economic growth from 1946-1973.

GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) in World was reported at 24248 USD in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Constant GDP per capita for the United States (NYGDPPCAPKDUSA) from 1960 to 2024 about per capita, real, GDP, and USA.

Content

The data represents GDP (2010 USD), GDP Growth (%), and GDP Per Capita (2010 USD) from 1960 to 2016.

Acknowledgements

All data taken from the World Bank Group.

Inspiration

I pooled this for another analysis I was doing. I think it would best be used in combination with other datasets to augment analytical depth.

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, GDP per capita rose significantly across Europe, however, at varying rates across different regions. Scandinavia, which did not experience the same level of structural devastation during the World Wars as the other regions, saw the largest GDP per capita growth during this period. Over these five decades, Scandinavian countries transformed from traditional agricultural societies to some of the world's wealthiest and industrially advanced economies. Between 1913 and 1950, Scandinavian GDP per capita doubled, eventually overtaking Western Europe as the highest in Europe. In comparison, East-Central Europe's growth was much slower, rising by just 26 percent between 1913 and 1915.

Graph and download economic data for Constant GDP per capita for Japan (NYGDPPCAPKDJPN) from 1960 to 2024 about Japan, per capita, real, and GDP.

Poland GDP per capita for 2023 was $22,057, a 16.76% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Poland GDP per capita for 2022 was <strong>$18,891</strong>, a <strong>1.37% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Poland GDP per capita for 2021 was <strong>$18,636</strong>, a <strong>16.56% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Poland GDP per capita for 2020 was <strong>$15,988</strong>, a <strong>0.71% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) in World was reported at 11579 USD in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - GDP per capita (constant 2000 US$) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Israel GDP per capita by year from 1960 to 2023.

Historical chart and dataset showing Italy GDP per capita by year from 1960 to 2023.

Historical chart and dataset showing Brazil GDP per capita by year from 1960 to 2023.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Soviet Union's GDP per capita rose from roughly one-third of Western Europe's GDP per capita in 1900 to one-half of its rate in 1950. Although it grew gradually between the given intervals, it did drop between 1913 and 1929 due to the devastation caused by the First World War and Russian Revolution. However, this year also marked the beginning of the Great Depression, which caused a significant economic downturn across Western Europe while being relatively unfelt in the Soviet Union.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the United States from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the gross domestic product per capita in the United States amounted to around 85,812.18 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 .

Over the first half of the 20th century, the Soviet Union's GDP per capita rose from 1,218 U.S. dollars to 2,8334 U.S. dollars. There was a slight decrease between 1913 and 1929 due to the devastation caused by the First World War and Russian Revolution and the transition to a communist government and socialist economic structure. However, GDP per capita grew over the following three intervals, and the Soviet Union's relative isolation in the 1920s and 1930s meant that it was relatively untouched by the Great Depression in the 1930s. At the end of the recovery period after the Second World War, in 1950, GDP per capita had already exceeded pre-war levels by a significant margin, and the Soviet Union emerged as one of the two global superpowers, alongside the United States.

The Gross Domestic Product per capita in China was last recorded at 13121.68 US dollars in 2024. The GDP per Capita in China is equivalent to 104 percent of the world's average. This dataset provides - China GDP per capita - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.