March 21, 2026
Why we built this site
Existing tools for GDP per capita data are either inaccurate, hard to use, or lack visualization. We built something better.
The problem with existing sources
When you search for GDP per capita data, you'll find several options. None of them are ideal.
Our World in Data
Our World in Data is a fantastic resource with 2M+ monthly visitors and beautiful visualizations. But there's a catch: they only show PPP-adjusted data.
PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) systematically overestimates income in developing countries due to the Balassa-Samuelson effect. It also fails to capture international purchasing power — the actual ability to buy imports, invest abroad, or hire foreign workers. For many use cases, nominal GDP per capita is more useful.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia's list has excellent data with a Domain Rating of 97 and 848M monthly visits. The IMF data is up-to-date. But it's just a static table — no charts, no filtering, no way to compare countries over time.
World Bank
The World Bank's data portal has good data and visualization. But the interface is frustrating: selecting and deselecting countries requires clicking tiny crosses, there's no JSON export, and data stops at 2024.
IMF Data Explorer
The IMF Data Explorer is the primary source — 2026 data, JSON export, nominal GDP per capita. But there's no visualization at all. It's a data dump, not a tool.
Comparison
| Nominal GDP | Visualization | 2026 data | Projections | JSON export | Easy to use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our World in Data | ||||||
| Wikipedia | ||||||
| World Bank | ||||||
| IMF Data Explorer | ||||||
| gdppercapita.fyi |
What we offer
We built gdppercapita.fyi to fill this gap:
- Up-to-date data — IMF World Economic Outlook 2026, including projections to 2030
- Nominal GDP — Not PPP-adjusted, so you get real international purchasing power
- Simple visualization — Compare countries over time with an intuitive interface
- Easy data export — Download PNG charts or raw JSON data
- Shareable URLs — Every country selection has a unique URL
- Open source — MIT licensed, available on GitHub
Our philosophy
We believe economic data should be accessible, accurate, and easy to understand. No paywalls, no complex interfaces, no misleading adjustments. Just the data, visualized clearly.