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
On a per capita basis, Nevada is the leader.
—
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Countries like Slovakia and Czechia – today among the world leaders in car production per capita – built much of their automotive strength on a workforce that once worked in defense industries before the end of socialism.
—Sam Meredith,joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
Tensions started rising after police department leaders sought funding to hire more officers to meet the national standard for officers per capita, firefighter union spokesperson Frank Rutkowski said.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
In Iran, where the GDP per capita in 2024 hovered around $5,120 a year according to the World Bank, that’s a fortune.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for per capita
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Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Countries like Slovakia and Czechia – today among the world leaders in car production per capita – built much of their automotive strength on a workforce that once worked in defense industries before the end of socialism.
—Sam Meredith,joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
Tensions started rising after police department leaders sought funding to hire more officers to meet the national standard for officers per capita, firefighter union spokesperson Frank Rutkowski said.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
In Iran, where the GDP per capita in 2024 hovered around $5,120 a year according to the World Bank, that’s a fortune.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
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 6 Apr. 2026.
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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