GDP Per Capita Quiz

GDP per capita is the most-used single measure of a country's average income. Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway, and Singapore all sit above $80,000 per person; Burundi sits at roughly $200.

Petro-states and microstates

Monaco, Liechtenstein, and Bermuda post even higher figures but are often left out of headline rankings because of their tiny populations and patchy reporting. Qatar and the UAE punch above their weight thanks to oil and gas. Ireland's figure is inflated by multinational accounting — Apple's European HQ being there. Equatorial Guinea's oil boom once gave it the highest GDP per capita in Africa, alongside one of the widest inequality gaps in the world.

Did you know?

• Luxembourg has the world's highest GDP per capita, but much of it comes from cross-border commuters not counted in the population.
• Norway funds its sovereign wealth fund — the world's largest — almost entirely from offshore oil and gas.
• Singapore's GDP per capita has risen tenfold since independence in 1965, faster than any other country.
• Qatar's GDP per capita briefly topped the global rankings during the 2010s natural-gas boom.
• Switzerland's GDP per capita reflects a high cost of living: a Big Mac there costs nearly $8.
• Ireland's GDP per capita is heavily distorted by US tech companies headquartering there for tax purposes.
• Monaco has one of the world's highest GDP per capita, driven by ultra-wealthy residents.
• Liechtenstein has one of the highest per-capita GDPs and almost zero government debt.
• South Korea went from being poorer than Ghana in 1960 to richer than Italy by 2020.
• Botswana has one of the most stable economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, anchored by diamond mining.
• Norway and Saudi Arabia handle their oil wealth very differently: Norway saves it, Saudi spends it.
• Cuba's official GDP per capita is below the world average, but its healthcare and education metrics rival wealthy countries.
• Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have some of the world's highest GDP per capita due to their financial-services sectors.
• Burundi and South Sudan rank at the bottom of the GDP per capita list at under $400 per person per year.
• China's GDP per capita is still below the world average despite the country being the second-largest economy overall.

Read more

The richest and poorest countries per person — Monaco's GDP per person is more than a thousand times Burundi's, and two of the top five are inflated by accounting rather than income.

Where the data comes from

Every figure in this category is drawn from World Bank GDP per capita (nominal). Data is refreshed quarterly; if a number looks wrong, tell us and we will check the source.