per capita

American  

[per kap-i-tuh] / pər ˈkæp ɪ tə /

adjective

1. by or for each individual person.

   income per capita.

2. Law. noting or pertaining to a method of dividing an estate by which all those equally related to the decedent take equal shares individually without regard to the number of lines of descent.

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per capita British  

/ pə ˈkæpɪtə /

adjective

1. of or for each person

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per capita Cultural  

1. A Latin phrase literally meaning “by heads,” and translated as “for each person.” It is a common unit for expressing data in statistics. A country's per capita personal income, for example, is the average personal income per person.

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Etymology

Origin of per capita

1675–85; < Latin: literally, by heads

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

per capita

The province has the highest GDP per capita in the country, and it contributes billions a year to the federal tax pool because of its strong economy.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

In purchasing power parity terms, which accounts for goods and services typically costing less in poorer countries, Chinese per capita GDP of about $29,500 was 2.5 times India’s $12,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Germany’s annual per capita consumption of traditional beer has fallen about 40% since 1990 to 77 liters now — an alarming development for an industry whose origins reach back to the Middle Ages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

South Korea -- which had a GDP per capita below $100 in the wake of its 1950-1953 war -- is now the world's 15th largest economy, according to the IMF.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Baltimore City residents increasingly bled into it, exchanging the city for the county’s spacious neighborhoods, quality schools, and higher per capita income.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore