Recent forecasts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) project global growth to slow to 3.1% in 2026. Advanced economies are expected to expand by around 1.5%, while emerging markets are anticipated to grow just above 4%, amid rising risks from trade, inflation, and labor supply constraints.
According to Paul Hoffman, lead data analyst at BestBrokers, Liechtenstein tops the global ranking for real GDP per capita, reaching an extraordinary $231,478 per citizen, nearly twice the figure of second-placed Ireland ($125,005) and more than double that of Luxembourg ($106,732). When adjusted for inflation, Liechtenstein’s real GDP falls just 1.43% below its nominal value, compared with declines of 6.38% in Ireland and 27.83% in Luxembourg.
Here are the countries with the highest Real GDP per capita in 2025:
Liechtenstein - $231,478 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $9.29 billion; Ireland - $125,005 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $663.53 billion; Luxembourg - $106,732 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $72.63 billion; Switzerland - $105,707 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $947.91 billion; Norway - $100,949 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $567.65 billion; Singapore - $75,090 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $440.84 billion; Iceland - $70,900 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $28.24 billion; United States - $68,618 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $23.83 trillion; Denmark - $66,453 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $398.88 billion; Qatar - $64,694 per citizen │ Total Real GDP: $201.58 billion
- Liechtenstein holds the top spot globally in real GDP per capita, reaching $231,478 per person. Despite its small size, the principality’s economy remains remarkably resilient, with a total nominal GDP of $9.42 billion. Even after adjusting for inflation, output has barely shifted, recording only a modest 1.43% decline. On a year-over-year basis, Liechtenstein’s real GDP grew by 6.85%, highlighting the strength of its high-income, export-driven economy.
- Ireland and Luxembourg follow, with real GDP per capita of $125,005 and $106,732, respectively. Once inflation is factored in, both economies saw moderate contractions, with nominal figures declining by 6.38% in Ireland and 27.83% in Luxembourg.
- Yet year-over-year, their real GDP still grew by 13.9% and 5.62%, respectively. Over the past decade, Ireland’s expansion has been especially striking: its real GDP has risen by about 85.7%, nearly doubling in size.
- With only $12.88 in real GDP per capita, Argentina ranks last worldwide in real input per citizen. Its nominal GDP of $683.37 billion conceals a dramatic collapse in real terms, driven by hyperinflation and relentless currency depreciation. Since 2024, the country’s real GDP has contracted by 23.58%, and over the past decade, it has plummeted by an astonishing 98.76%.
- The United States, China, and Germany lead in real GDP figures just as they do in nominal terms in 2025; however, the values are significantly reduced once the GDP deflator is applied and inflation is taken out of the equation, resulting in a ‘real figure’ that is between 16% (China) and 23% (the U.S.) lower than the nominal one.
- Since 2024, Ghana recorded the largest increase in real GDP, rising 17.35%, while Ethiopia experienced the steepest decline, falling 34.63%. Looking at the past decade, Armenia leads the gains with a remarkable 97.7% growth, whereas Argentina suffered the most severe contraction, with real GDP plunging 98.76%.
In the future, per-capita prosperity is likely to increasingly reflect not aggregate output but how effectively countries convert growth into tangible economic well-being, signaling that resilience, productivity, and targeted policy will be decisive drivers of future global wealth distribution.’-
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