Sovereign rows of the World Bank “GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$)” indicator. Top 30 by most recent year. Values in thousands of USD. Aggregates excluded.
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How to use this chart
Play/Pause starts and stops the year-by-year animation, the year slider jumps to any year, and the speed selector (0.5×, 1×, 2×) changes playback speed. Each year shows the top 12 entries out of the 30 held in the dataset.
About this ranking
About this metric. “GNI per Capita by Country (Time Series)” reformats data published by the World Bank (World Bank indicator code NY.GNP.PCAP.CD). Values are expressed in thousand USD.
What to watch. The interest is in the gap versus GDP per capita: Japan rides higher here on income from the world’s largest net foreign assets, while Ireland sits a little lower once multinational profits flow out to foreign shareholders. Same countries, different definition, different picture.
Caveats. The Atlas method smooths exchange rates over three years, so sharp currency moves show up with a lag. Because GNI adds cross-border income flows, some countries rank differently than on GDP per capita — that gap is informative rather than an error.
Trends in the data
Growth over 62 years differs by orders of magnitude. Norway went from 1.6 thousand dollars in 1962 to 98.2 thousand in 2024, a 61.38× increase; Iceland from 1.6 to 82.2 thousand, 51.38×; Luxembourg from 1.7 to 84.7 thousand, 49.82×; and Switzerland from 2.2 to 95.2 thousand, 43.27×. The 1962 leader, the United States at 3.3 thousand dollars, stood 6.6× above last-placed Singapore at 0.5 thousand. In 2024 first-placed Bermuda at 145.2 thousand is 3.1× last-placed New Zealand at 47.6 thousand — the ratio has actually narrowed.
Only four countries climbed: Ireland (18th → 7th), Singapore (19th → 9th), Norway (9th → 2nd) and Iceland (10th → 6th). Falling the other way are New Zealand (4th → 25th), Canada (3rd → 19th), the United Kingdom (8th → 23rd), Sweden (2nd → 14th), Israel (12th → 20th) and Australia (6th → 12th). The Commonwealth economies that led in 1962 have retreated almost without exception.
Note that this indicator uses the World Bank’s distinctive Atlas method, which smooths the exchange rate over a three-year average, so the effect of a sharp currency move appears with a lag of several years. When a currency moves substantially against the dollar, the dollar-denominated value shifts even though the real economy has not — and that change is reflected here gradually but surely. Following the slope over five-year spans is more informative than tracking annual wobbles.
Coverage is worth checking too: 19 countries with values in 1962, 23 in 1983, 25 in 2004 and 25 again in 2024. The left edge is a rank among nineteen and the right edge a rank among twenty-five; years with all 30 are rare. Many lines begin partway through not because those countries were poor but because their statistics were compiled later. Note also that the top-30 cut by latest value excludes any country below 47.6 thousand dollars in 2024, which is why Japan, China and India do not appear here.
Trivia quiz
How does GNI (gross national income) differ from GDP?
GNI adds net income received from abroad (interest, dividends, wages) to GDP, diverging most for countries with many multinationals or migrant workers. (Source)
Into how many income groups does the World Bank classify countries using GNI per capita?
Four (low, lower-middle, upper-middle, high income), used for lending terms and statistical grouping. (Source)
What method does the World Bank use to smooth exchange-rate swings when computing GNI per capita?
The Atlas method, which averages exchange rates over three years to reduce year-to-year volatility. (Source)