Datastream
Mapped: The 25 Richest Countries in the World
The Briefing
- The richest country in the world is Luxembourg with a GDP per capita of over $109,000
- The world’s 25 richest countries are located across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania
Mapped: The 25 Richest Countries in the World
Which are the richest countries in the world, by nominal GDP per capita?
This map looks at the top 25 countries by this metric. They’re located across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Notably, no South American or African countries make the list.
| Country | GDP per capita (USD) |
|---|---|
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | $109,602.32 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $81,867.46 |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $79,668.50 |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | $67,988.59 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $63,051.40 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $58,483.96 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | $58,438.85 |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | $57,189.03 |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | $52,751.11 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $51,885.47 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $51,289.57 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $50,339.20 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $48,634.34 |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | $48,461.48 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $45,466.12 |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR | $45,175.73 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $43,813.80 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $42,080.10 |
| 🇸🇲 San Marino | $41,682.81 |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | $41,559.51 |
| 🇫🇷 France | $39,257.43 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $39,228.52 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $39,047.90 |
| 🇲🇴 Macao SAR | $38,769.20 |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | $38,675.32 |
Although number one on the global stage in terms of total GDP, the U.S. places fifth with a GDP per capita of $63,051.
Interestingly, a number of countries with smaller population sizes have a high GDP per capita. For example, Iceland makes the top 10 at $57,189, but the island’s population is only around 342,000 people. Similarly, Luxembourg’s population is just under 633,000—but it’s the richest country in the world on a per capita basis.
Building Wealth
So how did these countries become so well off?
Looking at history, most high-income countries went through a similar linear journey. Beginning with agriculture-based economies, they went through a period of rapid industrialization, and finally became service-based economies.
In Luxembourg today, one of the top industries is banking and financial services, for example. Here’s a look at some of the top industries in the next five richest countries:
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland:
Banking and financial services, agriculture - 🇮🇪 Ireland:
Natural resources (including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and mining), pharmaceuticals - 🇳🇴 Norway:
Oil and gas, hydropower, seafood - 🇺🇸 U.S.:
Real estate, healthcare, technology - 🇸🇬 Singapore:
Financial services, manufacturing, oil and gas
The world’s wealthiest economies will likely remain on top for the foreseeable future, though some may experience plateauing growth. In Japan, for example, the domestic market is beginning to shrink due to an aging population.
Regardless, the wealth of these countries today is astounding, with the richest country in the world having a GDP per capita of 415x more than the poorest country in the world.
Where does this data come from?
Source: IMF
Details: GDP per capita is measured in $USD, 2020. In IMF’s database, Macao SAR and Hong Kong SAR are both listed separately from China.
Datastream
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Using data from the UN, this chart shows civilian death toll figures resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Briefing
- In total, since the war began in February there have been over 7,031 Ukrainian civilian deaths
- Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons, such as missiles and heavy artillery
Charted: The Ukraine War Civilian Death Toll
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has wrought suffering and death on a mass scale, with many Russian attacks targeted at civilians.
We’ve created this visual using data from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to better understand how many civilians have died in Ukraine as a result of the war, as well as how many were injured and how many were children.
The Numbers
As of early December, it is reported that 7,031 people in Ukraine have died because of the war — 433 of them children. Another 11,327 have been injured, 827 of which are children. In total, this is over 18,000 people killed or injured.
The figures are difficult to verify due to differing reports coming out of both Russia and Ukraine. The UN OHCHR anticipates that the numbers could be even higher.
The State of the Conflict
The war began on February 24th, 2022 and less than a year in, millions of people have been displaced by the conflict, and thousands of civilians have been injured or killed.
According to the UN, most of the civilian deaths have been caused by wide-ranging explosives such as heavy artillery shelling, missiles, and air strikes, and have been concentrated in Donetsk and Luhansk and in other territory still held by Ukraine.
Additionally, new estimates from Kyiv report approximately 13,000 Ukrainian military or soldier deaths, which has yet to be confirmed by the army.
Where does this data come from?
Source: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights monthly reports on civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Note: Data on deaths and injuries can vary wildly depending on the source.
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