What is GNI per capita in economics?
Definition: Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is the dollar value of a country's final income in a year divided by its population using Atlas methodology.
2) GNI per capita is the total income earned by a country's factors of production, no matter where the assets are located, divided by the total number of people in the population.
GNI measures are preferred to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as they represent national income, as opposed to the value of domestic production. GNI therefore includes income as earned by a country's residents, whether it originates from production within its borders, or from assets held abroad.
For the current 2024 fiscal year, low-income economies are defined as those with a GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of $1,135 or less in 2022; lower middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita between $1,136 and $4,465; upper middle-income economies are those with a GNI per ...
GNI per capita is gross national income divided by midyear population. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.
These are per capita Gross National Income (GNI) and Net National Income (NNI). Whereas GDP refers to the income generated by production activities on the economic territory of the country, GNI measures the income generated by the residents of a country, whether earned in the domestic territory or abroad.
Gross National Income Per Capita
One measurement of development The World Bank uses is Gross National Income (GNI), which can be crudely defined as the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year plus any income from abroad.
The Gross National Income (GNI) is largely considered a better indicator to account for the income available to the dwellers of a country because it captures the incomes related to the mobility of factors of production (wages earned by cross-border workers, repatriated profits and dividends, etc.), the so-called Net ...
Per capita income is the mean income computed for every man, woman, and child in a particular group including those living in group quarters. It is derived by dividing the aggregate income of a particular group by the total population in that group.
Gross national income, abbreviated as GNI, is the sum of incomes of residents of an economy in a given period.
What is a low level of GNI per capita?
Countries with less than $1,035 GNI per capita are classified as low-income countries, those with between $1,036 and $4,085 as lower middle income countries, those with between $4,086 and $12,615 as upper middle income countries, and those with incomes of more than $12,615 as high-income countries.
GNI, therefore, is a better measure of economic well-being than GDP for countries that have large foreign receivables or outlays. Before the creation of the Human Development Index (HDI), a country's level of development was typically measured using economic statistics, particularly GNI.

National Accounts » Gross National Income - Gross national income per capita based on purchasing-power-parity in current prices - Ranking. Norway is the top country by GNI per capita based on PPP in the world. As of 2022, GNI per capita based on PPP in Norway was 118,440 international dollars.
World gni per capita for 2022 was $12,804, a 6.21% increase from 2021. World gni per capita for 2021 was $12,055, a 9.08% increase from 2020. World gni per capita for 2020 was $11,052, a 3.94% decline from 2019. World gni per capita for 2019 was $11,505, a 3.65% increase from 2018.
Definition of per capita
The per capita meaning translates literally as “by the head,” but it's used to mean “per person.” In economics, business, or statistics, per capita is used to report average figures per person.
Low-income economies — 2021 GNI per capita of up to $1,085. Lower-middle-income economies — 2021 GNI per capita of $1,086 to $4,255. Upper-middle-income economies — 2021 GNI per capita of $4,256 to $13,205. High-income economies — 2021 GNI per capita of $13,206 or more.
- Increasing productivity – A nation's workforce can be more productive, which will improve its per capita income. ...
- Building infrastructure can aid in boosting economic growth and per capita income.
GNI per capita – this measure only shows economic development and says nothing about whether people in a country have a good quality of life . It is also an average and so it hides information about people who are very rich or very poor.
GDP per capita analysis on a national level can provide insights into a country's domestic population influence. It is important to look at each variable's overall contribution to understand how an economy is growing or contracting in terms of its people.
Since per capita income uses the overall income of a population and divides it by the total number of people, it doesn't always provide an accurate representation of the standard of living.
Is per capita income a true measure of development?
Per capita income is not considered an accurate measure of development. The amount of money or income earned per person in a state or region is referred to as per capita income. The average income is the per capita income. It refers to the annual income per person.
If you use “to my children, per capita” in this scenario: Your estate will be divided only between your two living children. Since Alan passed away before you, Beth and Claude will each receive one-half of your estate. Under this per capita distribution, Alan's children won't receive any of Alan's intended inheritance.
Let's understand this with an easy example; for instance the total income of a small geographic area with a population of 50,000 people is 50 lakh, the per capita income of that region will be 50,00,000 / 50,000 which is 500 rupees.
The major strength of GNI as an economic metric is the fact that it recognizes all income that goes into a national economy, regardless of whether it is earned within the country or overseas.
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign residents, minus income earned in the domestic economy by nonresidents.
A problem with gross national income estimates that, to compare them, the GNIs in local currency must be converted to a common currency by using an official exchange rate, and that may not accurately reflect domestic purchasing powers of currencies.
Gross national income (GNI) is defined as gross domestic product, plus net receipts from abroad of compensation of employees, property income and net taxes less subsidies on production.
Other Ways to Measure Quality of Life
GDP per capita only measures the income paid to those residing in the country's borders. GNI per capita can raise a country's standard of living. That's because many citizens live in other countries to get better jobs.
From 2001, these countries include the Euro area, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. U.S. gni per capita for 2022 was $76,370, a 7.72% increase from 2021. U.S. gni per capita for 2021 was $70,900, a 9.67% increase from 2020. U.S. gni per capita for 2020 was $64,650, a 2.24% decline from 2019.
Low-income economies — GNI per capita of up to $1,085 in 2021 (in USD) Lower-middle-income economies — GNI per capita of $1,086 to $4,255. Upper-middle-income economies — GNI per capita of $4,256 to $13,205. High-income economies — GNI per capita of $13,206 or more.
Who has the best GNI?
- Norway — 82,840.
- Ireland — 79,370.
- Switzerland — 75,810.
- Macau (China SAR) — 72,940.
- United Arab Emirates — 71,280.
- Hong Kong (China SAR) — 70,600.
- United States — 70,480.
- Denmark — 66,720.
U.S. gni per capita for 2022 was $76,370, a 7.72% increase from 2021. U.S. gni per capita for 2021 was $70,900, a 9.67% increase from 2020. U.S. gni per capita for 2020 was $64,650, a 2.24% decline from 2019. U.S. gni per capita for 2019 was $66,130, a 4.21% increase from 2018.
Whereas GDP refers to the income generated by production activities on the economic territory of the country, GNI measures the income generated by the residents of a country, whether earned in the domestic territory or abroad.
Code | Country/Economy | GDP per capita (Nominal) ($) |
---|---|---|
2021 | ||
NOR | Norway | 82,244 |
USA | United States | 69,375 |
ISL | Iceland | 68,844 |
North America has the highest continental gdp per capita by both GDP Nominal and PPP in the world.
Currently, the richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita is Luxembourg, with a GDP per capita of $135,700. Other wealthy countries include Bermuda, Ireland, and Switzerland, all with GDP per capita above $80,000.
Per capita income is also known as average income as it is calculated by dividing the total income of the country by the total population of the country.
Uses of per Capita Income:
Per capita income indicates the average income per person in a region, which helps to evaluate the standard of living of the population living in the region. Per capita is a general parameter to ascertain the possession of wealth or lack of wealth by the population in a region.
Standard of living is the amount of goods and services available to purchase in a country. Real GDP per capita and Gross National Income per capita are the two most common ways to measure the standard of living. GDP measures all transactions within a country's boundary, while GNI includes those who live abroad.
Long definition. GNI per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP GNI is gross national income (GNI) converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GNI as a U.S. dollar has in the United States.
What does the GNI refer to a country's quizlet?
Gross National Income (GNI) calculates the monetary worth of what is produced within a country plus income received from investments outside the country minus income payments to other countries around the world.
GDP per capita is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output, divided by mid-year population. Long definition.
The Gross National Income, GNI, formerly referred to as gross national product (GNP) measures the total domestic and foreign value added claimed by residents at a given period in time, usually a year, expressed in international dollars using purchasing power parity rates.
GNI measures are preferred to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as they represent national income, as opposed to the value of domestic production. GNI therefore includes income as earned by a country's residents, whether it originates from production within its borders, or from assets held abroad.
Gross National Income (GNI) is a similar measure to Gross National Product. The difference between them are the subsidies the European Union (EU) pay to us, and the taxes we pay to them.
GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.
Rank | Economy | GNI PPP per capita (Int$) |
---|---|---|
1 | Singapore | 120,450 |
2 | Qatar | 92,080 |
— | Bermuda (UK) | 87,340 |
3 | Luxembourg | 83,230 |
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