per capita
adverb or adjective
per cap·i·ta
(ˌ)pər-ˈka-pə-tə 
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
we expect the students to receive less funding per capita this year due to a marked increase in the school-age population
Recent Examples on the Web
San Diego historically has generated much less revenue per capita than other major cities in California.
—
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Guyana is home to vast oil reserves and is on track to become the world’s highest per capita oil producer.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Furthermore, countries like the US, which has a high per capita GDP, control of the global reserve currency, and only issues debt in that currency, can handle significantly more debt levels than most other countries.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
On a per capita basis, Taiwan buys 47 times more wheat than China.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for per capita
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Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Guyana is home to vast oil reserves and is on track to become the world’s highest per capita oil producer.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Furthermore, countries like the US, which has a high per capita GDP, control of the global reserve currency, and only issues debt in that currency, can handle significantly more debt levels than most other countries.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
On a per capita basis, Taiwan buys 47 times more wheat than China.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for per capita
Cite this Entry
“Per capita.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per%20capita. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
per capita
adverb or adjective
per cap·i·ta
(ˌ)pər-ˈkap-ət-ə
: by or for each person
per capita income
Legal Definition
per capita
adverb or adjective
per cap·i·ta
pər-ˈka-pə-tə
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
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