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

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

Discontent with our current healthcare system, which costs twice as much per capita as some other developed countries for materially worse outcomes, is not only a Democratic issue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

For example, Orlando ranked 21st when it came to gerontologists and eighth-highest for home-healthcare facilities per capita.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The city’s Economic Development Corporation says the city has roughly 1.5 square feet of grocery space per capita, compared with roughly 5-10 square feet elsewhere in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Offered in a year in which the average per capita income in the United States was $432, Strub’s purse caused a national sensation.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand