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GDP Per Capita - Our World in Data (World Bank)
webCredibility Rating
4/5
High(4)High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.
Rating inherited from publication venue: Our World in Data
This economic dataset has limited direct relevance to AI safety but may be useful for contextualizing global inequality, resource distribution, or economic conditions affecting AI governance and deployment discussions.
Metadata
Importance: 8/100dataset
Summary
An interactive data visualization tool showing GDP per capita across countries and over time, sourced from World Bank data. It enables comparisons of economic output per person across regions and historical periods, serving as a reference for understanding global economic development.
Key Points
- •Visualizes GDP per capita data from the World Bank across all countries and time periods
- •Useful for contextualizing economic conditions relevant to AI development and deployment disparities
- •Enables cross-country comparisons of income levels and economic growth trajectories
- •Provides baseline economic data relevant to AI governance and global coordination discussions
Review
GDP per capita is a critical metric for understanding economic development and living standards, providing insights into the average economic output and income levels of populations worldwide. By converting economic data into constant international dollars, it allows for meaningful comparisons across countries and time periods, accounting for inflation and purchasing power differences.
The indicator reveals stark global economic disparities, with poorest countries experiencing average incomes below $1,000 annually, while wealthy nations have per capita incomes over 50 times higher. This metric is not just a numerical representation but a powerful tool for analyzing economic progress, inequality, and potential development trajectories, making it invaluable for policymakers, economists, and researchers seeking to understand global economic dynamics.
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GDP per capita - Our World in Data Data GDP per capita
In constant international-$ – World Bank See all data and research on: Economic Growth What you should know about this indicator
GDP per capita is a comprehensive measure of people's average income. It helps compare income levels across countries and track how they change over time. It is especially useful for understanding trends in economic growth and living standards.
GDP per capita is calculated as the value of all final goods and services produced each year in a country (the gross domestic product ), divided by the population. It represents the average economic output per person.
This indicator shows the large inequality between people in different countries. In the poorest countries, average incomes are below $1,000 per year; in rich countries, they are more than 50 times higher.
This data is expressed in constant international dollars to adjust for inflation and differences in living costs between countries. Read more in our article, What are international dollars?
This data comes from the World Bank and starts in 1990. For estimates going back several centuries, explore our chart of GDP per capita from the Maddison Project Database .
Learn more in the FAQs How is this data described by its producer - World Bank?
GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP GDP is gross domestic product converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP as the U.S. dollar has in the United States. GDP at purchaser's prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the country plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in constant 2017 international dollars.
Statistical concept and methodology:
For the concept and methodology of 2017 PPP, please refer to the International Comparison Program (ICP)’s website ( https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/icp ).
GDP per capita In constant international-$ – World Bank Average economic output per person in a country or region per year. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries. Source Eurostat, OECD, IMF, and World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data Last updated February 27, 2026 Next expected update February 2027 Date range 1990–2024 Unit international-$ in 2021 prices Related research and writing
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