per capita
Per capita (adjective) means Calculated for each person, by dividing a total figure by the number of people in a population. Example: “Per capita income has risen faster in the cities than in rural areas.”
How to use per capita
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWorked out as an amount for each person.
Standard in economics, statistics and journalism. Usually written without a hyphen, though a hyphen before a noun is acceptable.
Per capita is already plural in Latin, so never write 'per capitas'. Say 'GDP per capita', not 'per capita GDP per person'.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ income has risen faster in the cities than in rural areas.
Etymology
Latin, literally 'by heads', from per 'by' and capita, plural of caput 'head'.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for per capita
See all rhymes for per capita →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between per capita and per person?
They mean the same thing, but per capita is the technical term used when a total is divided by a population to give a statistical average. Per person is the everyday phrasing and is more natural for concrete amounts, such as 'thirty pounds per person'.
What does GDP per capita tell you?
It gives the country's total economic output divided by its population, which makes economies of very different sizes comparable. It says nothing about how that output is distributed, so a country with high GDP per capita can still have widespread poverty.
Is per capita the same as average?
It is a specific kind of average, the mean per head. Like any mean it can be pulled far from typical experience by a small number of very high values, which is why analysts often report the median alongside it.
What is the meaning of per capita?
"per capita" (adjective) means calculated for each person, by dividing a total figure by the number of people in a population.