The world’s richest countries

Have you ever wondered which is the richest country in the world? When measuring how rich a country is, GDP per capita or purchasing power parity (PPP) is used to get a more accurate result of how rich a country is.

Read on now to discover which are the richest countries in terms of GDP per capita.

World’s richest countries 2021

Read more about the ten richest countries in the world here. If you’re just looking for a quick look, then look a little further down for a list of the top ten!

10. San Marino – GDP (PPP) per capita 65 320 Int. $

At number ten, we find the small microstate totally surrounded by Italy. The population of the country is very low while high revenues are covered mainly from banking and tourism.

9 Brunei – GDP (PPP) per capita 66 800 Int. $

Despite making the top ten list, Brunei is extremely dependent on imports from the rest of the world. The small sultanate’s main income comes from oil and natural gas, but the rest of its resources have to be imported from neighbouring countries.

8. USA – GDP (PPP) per capita 69 230 Int. $

In eighth place is a country that many consider to be one of the richest in the world. While the US GDP is the highest in the world, it is not in the top five because of its large population. However, not only its strong economy but also its geopolitical position leads people to refer to the US as the most powerful country in the world.

7. Norway – GDP (PPP) per capita 70 830 Int. $

Our neighbours to the west occupy the seventh place on this list. Not only does Norway have a large supply of forests, metals and hydropower, it also has a large resource of oil. In order to prevent a drop in revenue when oil starts to disappear, the Norwegian government has also dedicated money to investments abroad.

6. United Arab Emirates – GDP (PPP) per capita 73 570 Int. $

This federal state consists of seven emirates, probably the best known of which are Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Thanks to oil and natural gas, the UAE is becoming the sixth richest country in the world.

5. Switzerland – GDP (PPP) per capita 78 530 Int. $

Here is the country that is not only known for its cheeses and mountains but also its banks. It’s no wonder Switzerland makes the top ten list, as a large part of their GDP comes from financial services. Moreover, thanks to their central geographical position, they can easily transport export goods.

4. Qatar – GDP (PPP) per capita 104 670 Int. $

It will not have escaped anyone’s notice that the country that takes fourth place is considered a rich country. Qatar can thank the availability of natural gas and oil for their greater wealth. But to make sure it doesn’t become dependent on fossil fuels, the country is trying to invest more in agriculture lately.

3. Ireland – GDP (PPP) per capita 112 460 Int. $

In third place we find none other than the island nation of Ireland. However, the high place can be deceiving. A third place on this list makes it look like one of the richest countries in Europe, but instead a large part of the income comes from multinational companies where the profits disappear from the green island.

2. Singapore – GDP (PPP) per capita 116 490 Int. $

Many smaller states in Asia are often considered rich countries, and Singapore is no exception. Much of Singapore’s revenue comes from its port activity because goods are transshipped there. But if we take it a step further and look at the top: which is the richest country in the world?

Luxembourg – GNP (PPP) per capita 131 870 Int. $

So which country is the richest? In first place as the world’s richest country is none other than Luxembourg. Not only is this tiny country the richest country in the world, it is also the richest country in Europe.

Top Ten Compiled

1. Luxembourg
2. Singapore
3. Ireland
4. Qatar
5. Switzerland
6. United Arab Emirates
7. Norway
8. USA
9. Brunei
10. San Marino

World’s richest countries 2020

Now that we’ve learned which countries are the richest in the world right now, and especially that Luxembourg will be the richest country in the world in 2021, it might be interesting to take a look at what it looked like last year. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the richest countries in 2020.

1. Luxembourg – GNP (PPP) per capita 120 090 Int. $
2. Singapore – GDP (PPP) per capita 99 680 Int. $
3. Qatar – GNP (PPP) per capita 96 550 Int. $
4. Ireland – GDP (PPP) per capita 96 020 Int. $
5. Switzerland – GDP (PPP) per capita 73 230 Int. $
6. United Arab Emirates – GDP (PPP) per capita 71 140 Int. $
7. Norway – GDP (PPP) per capita 65 800 Int. $
8. Brunei – GNP (PPP) per capita 64 710 Int. $
9. USA – GDP (PPP) per capita 63 080 Int. $
10. San Marino – GDP (PPP) per capita 59 800 Int. $

Sweden

Our vast country is often regarded as one of the richest countries in the world, and therefore in Europe. However, Sweden does not appear in the list of countries. That’s because Sweden often shifts between 15th and 16th place, so we’re not far off! However, Sweden is one of the richest countries in Europe.

Nils Samuelsson