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

Synonyms

• all
• apiece
• each
• per

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

Strong long-term economy: Real per capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Firms with 5 to nine employees receive about 60% more patents per capita than corporations with more than 25,000 workers. —Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024

One effort sought to estimate how many wheels per capita there are, and how many doors per capita, which can then be used to multiply by the world population. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

For a small, rural state like Arkansas, the Great Depression hit hard, making life even more of a struggle as the state's per capita income fell to... Already a subscriber? —Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids 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