What does a historical nominal GDP-per-person comparison measure? The figures below use World Bank observations for 2020. The observation period is distinct from the date this article is prepared.
Key takeaways
- United States ranked 1 with 64465.2971415748 Current US dollars per person in 2020.
- Canada ranked 2 with 43537.8981198851 Current US dollars per person in 2020.
- Uruguay ranked 3 with 15757.5341990356 Current US dollars per person in 2020.
What does a historical nominal GDP-per-person comparison measure?
GDP per capita divides economic output by population. This series expresses output in current US dollars using the source's conversion methods. It is not median household income, a measure of personal wealth or a purchasing-power-adjusted comparison of living standards.
How to interpret the differences
This article deliberately preserves a historical observation period. It is not presented as the latest ranking. Differences in exchange rates and domestic prices affect nominal dollar comparisons, so a higher value does not by itself establish that a typical resident can buy more.
A country average, not a regional total
Mean: 12122 Current US dollars per person in 2020.
This is an unweighted mean across the reported countries. Each country contributes equally; the result is not a GDP-weighted or population-weighted regional aggregate.
What to investigate next
Use the table as a reproducible reference for research about that period. Comparing it with a later nominal-dollar ranking would not isolate real growth; that requires compatible constant-price data and explicit methods. This snapshot alone does not identify the causes of changes in economic activity.
| Rank | Country | GDP per capita (current US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 64,465.2971415748 |
| 2 | Canada | 43,537.8981198851 |
| 3 | Uruguay | 15,757.5341990356 |
| 4 | Panama | 13,290.5608347594 |
| 5 | Chile | 13,117.9930230086 |
| 6 | Costa Rica | 12,475.6852076814 |
| 7 | Cuba | 9,605.27914559614 |
| 8 | Mexico | 8,841.27074929751 |
| 9 | Argentina | 8,535.59938004389 |
| 10 | Dominican Republic | 7,135.22273255899 |
| 11 | Brazil | 7,074.19378337644 |
| 12 | Peru | 6,133.32552410183 |
| 13 | Ecuador | 5,463.64515348598 |
| 14 | Paraguay | 5,365.47220721191 |
| 15 | Colombia | 5,339.68711357943 |
| 16 | Guatemala | 4,477.61785000665 |
| 17 | El Salvador | 3,997.19279583709 |
| 18 | Bolivia | 3,580.96761778303 |
| 19 | Honduras | 2,307.61494319511 |
| 20 | Nicaragua | 1,938.44704754382 |
Source: World Bank WDI (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD)
Methodology: World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD for 20 reported countries from the configured 20-country comparison in 2020; exact source-reported values ranked descending without imputation or unit conversion. Missing observations remain excluded.
Methodology
World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD for 20 reported countries from the configured 20-country comparison in 2020; exact source-reported values ranked descending without imputation or unit conversion. Missing observations remain excluded.
Caveats
Coverage is limited to the configured selected-country universe and the stated reference year. Missing observations are not imputed.
Data attribution and reproducibility
National accounts sources and World Bank WDI. Indicator definitions and original provider credits. Data distributed under CC BY 4.0. WorldDataRank calculated the ordering and country mean and created the visual. Data retrieved 2026-10-27T19:35:40Z. The upstream release date is not supplied in this snapshot; it is not inferred from the observation year. This publication is independent and is not endorsed by the data providers.