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
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...
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—Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for per capita 
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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
See all Example Sentences for per capita
Articles Related to per capita
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 29 Nov. 2024.
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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