GDP per capita growth tells a different story from either total GDP growth or the level of GDP per person. Among the 186 countries and economies with a 2025 observation in the World Bank data, the unweighted median is 2.51% and the simple mean is 2.48%. Growth is positive in 160 observations and negative in 26. The measure tracks the annual change in real output per person, not current-dollar income or average wages.
Table of Contents
What GDP per capita growth measures
World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG is the annual percentage change in GDP per capita using constant-price national accounts. GDP per capita divides gross domestic product by midyear population, so this growth rate incorporates both real output change and population change. It is designed to remove the effect of price inflation from the growth calculation.
That distinction matters. A country can record positive real GDP growth while its output per person grows more slowly if population rises quickly. A country with modest aggregate growth can also post stronger per-capita growth when population growth is low. The indicator therefore answers “how fast did real output per person change?” rather than “how much did the whole economy grow?”
The strongest contrasts on the 2025 map
Guyana is the highest 2025 observation at 18.64%. Libya follows at 12.19%, Ireland at 10.52%, and the Kyrgyz Republic at 9.26%. Viet Nam reaches 7.37%, Bhutan 7.31%, Rwanda 7.03%, Ethiopia 7.01%, and India 6.62%. The upper tail is geographically mixed: the largest rates are spread across South America, North Africa, Europe, Central Asia, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa rather than forming one single regional block.
The lower tail is also dispersed. Equatorial Guinea records -8.08%, Iraq -4.19%, Haiti -3.80%, Iran -3.72%, and Mozambique -3.31%. Neighboring or nearby economies can differ sharply. In East Asia, China is at 5.14%, compared with Japan at 1.69% and Korea at 1.14%. In Western Europe, Germany is at 0.27%, France at 0.59%, and the Netherlands at 1.25%, while Ireland is a conspicuous outlier at 10.52%.
Highest 10 observations in 2025
| Country or economy | GDP per capita growth |
|---|---|
| Guyana | 18.64% |
| Libya | 12.19% |
| Ireland | 10.52% |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 9.26% |
| Viet Nam | 7.37% |
| Bhutan | 7.31% |
| Rwanda | 7.03% |
| Ethiopia | 7.01% |
| India | 6.62% |
| Palau | 6.48% |
Lowest 10 observations in 2025
| Country or economy | GDP per capita growth |
|---|---|
| Equatorial Guinea | -8.08% |
| Iraq | -4.19% |
| Haiti | -3.80% |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | -3.72% |
| Mozambique | -3.31% |
| Bolivia | -2.90% |
| Myanmar | -2.64% |
| Botswana | -2.32% |
| Oman | -1.57% |
| Ukraine | -1.32% |
Of the 186 same-year observations, 26 are at or above 5%. Another 134 are between 0% and 5%, 18 are between -2% and 0%, and 8 are below -2%. Positive growth is therefore much more common than contraction in this 2025 cross-section, but the spread is wide.
How major economies compare
| Economy | 2025 growth |
|---|---|
| United States | 1.63% |
| China | 5.14% |
| Japan | 1.69% |
| Korea, Rep. | 1.14% |
| India | 6.62% |
| Indonesia | 4.29% |
| Germany | 0.27% |
| France | 0.59% |
| United Kingdom | 1.09% |
| Canada | 0.79% |
| Brazil | 1.89% |
| Australia | -0.19% |
| Mexico | -0.27% |
| South Africa | -0.04% |
The major-economy comparison spans several different growth regimes. India is at 6.62%, China at 5.14%, and Indonesia at 4.29%. The United States is at 1.63%, Japan 1.69%, Korea 1.14%, and the United Kingdom 1.09%. Germany is at 0.27%, France 0.59%, and Canada 0.79%. Australia (-0.19%), Mexico (-0.27%), and South Africa (-0.04%) are slightly negative. Because every number in this table refers to 2025, the comparison avoids mixing different business-cycle years.
Why this is not the same as total GDP growth
Total real GDP growth measures the change in economy-wide output. GDP per capita growth measures the change after that output is divided by population. Population growth therefore creates a systematic reason for the two rates to differ. For small percentage changes, the per-capita rate often moves roughly with real GDP growth minus population growth, although the exact calculation comes from the underlying constant-price per-capita series rather than a simple subtraction rule.
This is why the ranking can differ from the published 2025 GDP growth map. Reading both measures together separates fast expansion of total output from fast expansion of output per resident.
Why this is also different from the level of GDP per capita
GDP per capita in current U.S. dollars is a level measure: it describes the amount of economic output per person at a point in time and is influenced by current prices and exchange rates. The series used here is a real growth measure. A country can have a low level of GDP per capita and a high growth rate, or a very high level and a low growth rate. Ranking them answers two different questions.
GDP per capita growth is not a direct measure of wages, disposable income, household consumption, poverty, or inequality. It is a macroeconomic production measure divided by population. Household welfare requires additional distributional and price information.
Why the analysis uses 2025 observations only
The latest-value file contains 214 countries and economies, but only 186 of those observations are dated 2025. The remaining 28 have an older latest year. Mixing them into a single ranking would compare different economic periods, so the mean, median, top and bottom tables, and major-economy comparison in this article use only the 2025 subset.
A gray area on the map therefore does not mean zero growth. It can indicate that no 2025 value was retained or that the economy is too small to render as a separate polygon in the low-resolution world boundary layer. Older values are not substituted into the 2025 map.
Source and calculation method
The statistical source is the World Bank World Development Indicators series GDP per capita growth (annual %), code NY.GDP.PCAP.KD.ZG. World Bank metadata defines it as the annual percentage growth rate of GDP per capita based on constant-price national accounts, with GDP per capita calculated by dividing GDP by midyear population.
The summary statistics here are unweighted country/economy statistics calculated from the 186 observations dated 2025. The simple mean of 2.48% is not a population-weighted or GDP-weighted world growth rate. The median of 2.51% is the midpoint of the country/economy distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does GDP per capita growth measure?
It measures the annual percentage change in real GDP per person. Because GDP is divided by population, the rate can differ from total real GDP growth when population changes.
Which economy has the highest 2025 GDP per capita growth in this dataset?
Guyana is the highest 2025 observation at 18.64%, followed by Libya at 12.19% and Ireland at 10.52%.
Does a high GDP per capita growth rate mean people have high incomes?
No. Growth is a rate of change in macroeconomic output per person. It is not a direct measure of wages, disposable income, household wealth, or the level of GDP per capita.
Why are older latest values excluded from the ranking?
The source file contains 214 latest observations, but only 186 are dated 2025. The ranking and summary statistics use the same reference year so that different economic periods are not mixed.
Related Articles
Global GDP Growth Map – Country Patterns in 2025
Global GDP per Capita Map – Country Levels in 2025
Global Map of Real Consumption or Income Growth per Person
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