per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈka-pə-tə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
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

Recent Examples on the Web The annual per capita income in Uganda was $850 in 2022, according to World Bank figures. Rodney Muhumuza, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Roughly half the population lives in poverty, gang violence is endemic and the country’s per capita gross domestic product is only about $3,400, compared with $83,000 in the United States. Wesley Parnell, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 According to Euronews, gun ownership per capita in the U.S. exceeds that of Europe's highest country, Montenegro, by more than three times. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 The per capita rate of homelessness in communities across the country is most closely tied to the cost of housing. Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Will was well aware of the fact that on average police kill 1,000 or more Americans annually, 20-50 times the per capita ratio of other advanced countries. Thomas R Eddlem, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024 For context, the annual global per capita emissions are 6.5 tons. Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Perhaps no state has more at stake than Louisiana, which until recently had a higher per capita incarceration rate than any other democracy in the world. Tim Craig, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Since Abbott began his busing scheme, Denver has received more migrants per capita than any other city, exacerbating some of the issues that Johnston had vowed to solve. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'per capita.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of per capita was in 1682

Dictionary Entries Near per capita

Cite this Entry

“Per capita.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per%20capita. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective
per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈkap-ət-ə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
: by or for each person
per capita income

Legal Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective
per cap·​i·​ta pər-ˈka-pə-tə How to pronounce per capita (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on per capita

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