per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈka-pə-tə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
1
: per unit of population : by or for each person
the highest income per capita of any state in the union
2
: equally to each individual

Examples of per capita in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to the World Bank, China’s gross domestic product per capita has stagnated at about $12,700 (compared with more than $76,000 in the United States). Christina Knight, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024 The study examined 100 of the U.S's largest metros and considered their unemployment rates, population growth, GDP per capita, new business creation and business tax climate. Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 The cost of raising a child to age 18 in China is 6.3 times higher than the country’s GDP per capita, the report said – a ratio second only to its East Asian neighbor South Korea, which has the world’s lowest fertility rate, and where the cost of child-rearing is 7.79 times GDP per capita. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 Private citizens in America donate more money overseas per capita than any other nation. TIME, 13 Feb. 2024 Israel, of which Yitzhar is a de facto part, is a $50,000 per capita economy, compared with the West Bank’s $5,600. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 The annual per capita income in Uganda was $850 in 2022, according to World Bank figures. Rodney Muhumuza, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Roughly half the population lives in poverty, gang violence is endemic and the country’s per capita gross domestic product is only about $3,400, compared with $83,000 in the United States. Wesley Parnell, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 According to Euronews, gun ownership per capita in the U.S. exceeds that of Europe's highest country, Montenegro, by more than three times. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'per capita.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of per capita was in 1682

Dictionary Entries Near per capita

Cite this Entry

“Per capita.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per%20capita. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective
per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈkap-ət-ə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
: by or for each person
per capita income

Legal Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective
per cap·​i·​ta pər-ˈka-pə-tə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
1
: equally to each individual
all property to pass to the descendants per capita
used of a method of distributing an especially intestate estate
compare per stirpes

Note: Per capita distribution of an estate provides each descendant with an equal share of the estate's assets regardless of the degree of his or her kinship. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc., all receive equal shares.

2
: per unit of population : by or for each individual
a high per capita tax burden
Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

More from Merriam-Webster on per capita

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