Source: Thinkstock
When politicians and motivational speakers are trying to excite and inspire an audience, they’ll often talk about America as “the land of opportunity,” or as the most “powerful nation in the world.” And, while these sentiments absolutely hold some degree of truth, America is by no means number one on every chart, wiping the floor with every other nation in every area.
Several other developed nations rank higher than America in regards to medical care, and even education. In terms of wealth, we’re among the wealthiest nations, but we’re certainly not number one in that area either. Using data from The World Bank, we’ve created a list of some of the richest and poorest nations in the world.
These lists are based on each country’s GDP per capita. That is, the sum value of the all of the finished goods produced within a country during a certain time period (often a year), divided by each country’s middle-of-the-year population. To provide a bit of perspective, we’ve included information on the cost to rent a small furnished apartment in some of these places as well.
10 of the richest countries in the world (ranked in order based on their GDP per capita)
| Rank | Nation | GDP Per Capita (PPP) in USD | Monthly rent for a 900-square-foot furnished apartment in an expensive area |
| 1 | Luxembourg | $110,697.00 | $2,260 (in Luxembourg) |
| 2 | Norway | $100,818.50 | $2,539 (in Olso) |
| 3 | Qatar | $93,714.10 | $3,353 (in Doha) |
| 4 | Macao SAR, China | $91,376.00 | $1,864 (in Macao) |
| 5 | Switzerland | $84,815.40 | $3,506 (in Zurich |
| 6 | Australia | $67,458.40 | $2,358 (in Sydney) |
| 7 | Sweden | $60,430.20 | $2,088 in (Stockholm) |
| 8 | Denmark | $59,831.70 | $2,206 in (Copenhagen) |
| 9 | Singapore | $55,182.50 | $3,750 (in Singapore) |
| 10 | United States | $53,042.00 | $4,208 (in New York City) |
| sources: Expatistan and The World Bank |
10 of the poorest countries in the world (ranked in order based on their GDP per capita)
| Rank | Country | GDP Per Capita (PPP) |
| 1 | Malawi | $226.50 |
| 2 | Burundi | $267.10 |
| 3 | Central African Republic | $333.20 |
| 4 | Niger | $415.40 |
| 5 | Liberia | $454.30 |
| 6 | Madagascar | $463.00 |
| 7 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | $484.20 |
| 8 | Gambia, The | $488.60 |
| 9 | Ethiopia | $505.00 |
| 10 | Guinea | $523.10 |
| Source: The World Bank |
