The 10 Countries with the Highest GDP Per Capita in 2026
Ranked by nominal GDP per capita, the value of a country's output divided by its population. See which countries produce the most per person, and why the biggest economies mostly aren't on the list.
Quick Answer
Liechtenstein has the highest GDP per capita in the world, at a projected $226,809 in 2026 — about 2.4 times the United States ($94,430, 8th) and 2.8 times the Netherlands, which takes the #10 spot at $79,918. Of the ten largest economies in the world by total GDP, only the United States appears in this top 10.
This ranking uses nominal GDP per capita in current US dollars: a country's total economic output divided by its number of residents. Figures are the International Monetary Fund's 2026 estimates and projections from its April 2026 World Economic Outlook, which the IMF may revise in later editions, with 2025 values used to show who moved. GDP per capita is a measure of output per person, not of the typical household's income or cost of living, and it is strongly affected by country size — see the callout below for why small economies and financial centers dominate this list.
Why do small places top a GDP per capita list?
GDP counts everything produced inside a country's borders, but per-capita figures divide only by residents. That can lift countries with many cross-border commuters or large multinational operations. In Luxembourg, cross-border workers held 47% of jobs in 2023, and the IMF notes that about half of Liechtenstein's workers commute in from neighboring countries. Ireland's own statistics office publishes a separate measure, modified gross national income (GNI*), because multinational activity inflates Irish GDP. Treat the rankings as a measure of output per resident, not of how well off the average person is.
Nominal GDP Per Capita — 2026 Projection · US$ Thousands
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026Tap any country to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #10 to #1
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $79,918
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Trade and logistics, agriculture, technology, finance
The Netherlands takes the final spot with a projected GDP per capita of $79,918, up about 8.2% in dollar terms from $73,833 in 2025.
The Netherlands is about $3,500 ahead of Macao SAR, China ($76,446), which is not counted as a sovereign country here, and about $4,270 ahead of Australia ($75,648), the next sovereign country on the IMF list.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $83,445
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Pharmaceuticals, shipping, wind energy, food
Denmark holds 9th place with a projected $83,445 per person, up about 8.3% in dollar terms from $77,046 in 2025.
Denmark is about $3,500 ahead of the Netherlands in 10th, but about $11,000 behind the United States in 8th.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $94,430
- Category:
- Americas
- Revenue sources:
- Services, technology, finance, consumer spending, energy
The United States has the largest economy in the world by total GDP, but ranks 8th per person, with a projected $94,430 in 2026, up about 4.9% in dollar terms from $89,991 in 2025.
Liechtenstein's GDP per capita is about 2.4 times the US figure. The US is the only one of the world's ten largest economies that also appears in this top 10.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $105,877
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Oil and gas, shipping, seafood, hydropower
Norway holds 7th place with a projected $105,877 per person, up about 12.1% in dollar terms from $94,468 in 2025 — the largest percentage increase in this top 10.
Norway is about $11,400 ahead of the United States. Changes in dollar-measured GDP per capita reflect exchange rates and price levels as well as real output.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $107,758
- Category:
- Asia-Pacific
- Revenue sources:
- Finance, trade, electronics manufacturing, shipping
Singapore slips from 5th to 6th with a projected $107,758 per person, up about 8.5% in dollar terms from $99,365 in 2025. It is a city-state, so its economy and its population are the same small area.
Singapore is about $2,290 behind Iceland in 5th and only about $1,880 ahead of Norway in 7th, so the 5th to 7th places are separated by less than $4,200.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $110,048
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Tourism, aluminum, fishing, renewable energy
Iceland moves up from 6th to 5th with a projected $110,048 per person, up about 11.1% in dollar terms from $99,071 in 2025, passing Singapore.
Iceland's rise of about $10,977 per person is the second-largest dollar increase in this top 10, after Norway.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $126,177
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Pharmaceuticals, banking and insurance, machinery, watches
Switzerland holds 4th place with a projected $126,177 per person, up about 9.1% in dollar terms from $115,620 in 2025.
Switzerland is about $14,000 behind Ireland in 3rd and about $16,000 ahead of Iceland in 5th.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $140,186
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Multinational technology and pharmaceutical operations, services, agriculture
Ireland holds 3rd place with a projected $140,186 per person, up about 7.3% in dollar terms from $130,652 in 2025.
Ireland's figure is widely seen as inflated by multinational companies' activity. Its own Central Statistics Office created modified gross national income (GNI*) in 2017 as a measure that strips out some of those effects.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $158,733
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Banking and investment funds, insurance, professional services
Luxembourg holds 2nd place with a projected $158,733 per person, up about 7.1% in dollar terms from $148,247 in 2025.
Cross-border workers held 47% of Luxembourg's nearly 500,000 jobs in 2023. Their output counts in Luxembourg's GDP, but they are not counted in the population it is divided by.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026; Observatory for Territorial Development (Luxembourg), via Chronicle.lu
- GDP per capita (2026 projection):
- $226,809
- Category:
- Europe
- Revenue sources:
- Precision manufacturing, machinery, private banking and wealth management
Liechtenstein has the highest GDP per capita in the world, at a projected $226,809 in 2026, up about 4.1% in dollar terms from $217,928 in 2025. It has about 40,000 residents, according to the IMF.
Liechtenstein joined the IMF as its 191st member in October 2024. Industry makes up about 42% of its value added, and about half of its 42,500 workers (2022) are cross-border commuters, according to the IMF.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026; IMF (Oct 2024)
What the numbers tell us
Liechtenstein's figure is about 2.8 times the Netherlands' at #10 and about 2.4 times the United States'. The US has the world's largest economy by total GDP but ranks 8th per person, and it is the only one of the ten largest economies that makes this top 10. Dollar changes versus 2025 range from about 4.1% (Liechtenstein) to about 12.1% (Norway); these are changes in nominal US-dollar figures, not real growth.
- Data period:
- 2026 projections (IMF April 2026 edition), with 2025 values for comparison
- Last updated:
- October 8, 2026
- Sources:
- International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (April 2026), nominal GDP per capita in current US dollars; cross-checked against StatisticsTimes' compilation of the same IMF data; IMF (October 2024) on Liechtenstein; Observatory for Territorial Development, Luxembourg (2023 data), as reported by Chronicle.lu
Countries are ranked by projected 2026 nominal GDP per capita in current US dollars, using the IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook figures. The IMF describes its World Economic Outlook figures as estimates and projections that can be revised, so these are forecasts rather than final results, and the IMF updates them in each edition. The April 2026 edition and its data period are retained here; later editions may show different values and a different order. Only sovereign countries are ranked: Macao SAR, China, which sits 11th on the IMF list at $76,446, is a Special Administrative Region and is excluded, and it would not change the top 10. Monaco is not included because the IMF publishes no GDP per capita figure for it. Percentage changes compare each country's 2026 projection with its 2025 figure from the same IMF edition and measure changes in nominal US-dollar GDP per capita, not real economic growth: they include the effects of inflation and exchange rates. Dollar gaps, ratios and percentages are calculated from the IMF's unrounded figures where available and then rounded. GDP per capita measures output per resident, not household income, and rankings by purchasing power parity (PPP) are a different measure that is not used here.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Liechtenstein, with a projected nominal GDP per capita of $226,809 in 2026 according to the IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook, about 1.4 times second-place Luxembourg ($158,733).