ENGLISH
REFERENCE

capita

n.
US //ˈkæpɪtə// UK //kˈæpɪtɐ// capi·ta
  1. 1 per person (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Formal

    used in the phrase 'per capita' to mean for each person.

    the plural of 'caput' (head), functioning as the object of the preposition 'per' to denote a per-person measurement.

    Example

    The country has a very high income per capita because of its small population.

    Example

    Economists often prefer to measure a nation's wealth using GDP per capita rather than total GDP to account for population differences.

    Usage

    Almost always appears in the phrase 'per capita'.

    Teacher's tip

    Learners often try to use 'capita' as a standalone noun. Advise them to treat 'per capita' as a single unit meaning 'for each person'.
    Pitfall
    The per capita of income is rising.
    The per capita income is rising.

    In English, 'per capita' usually acts as an adjective before a noun, not as a noun itself.

Origin

From the Latin capita, plural of caput.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026