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Who is richer, Qatar or the USA?

Published in Economic Comparison 2 mins read

According to the provided reference, Qatar is richer than the USA on a per-capita basis.

While the United States has a much larger Gross Domestic Product (GDP) overall, the wealth is not distributed evenly across its significantly larger population. Let's break down the comparison:

GDP Comparison

Feature Qatar USA
Population Smaller Larger
Overall GDP Smaller Larger
GDP Distribution More per capita Less per capita

Wealth Per Capita Analysis

The key point from the reference is that, even though the US has a GDP about 72 times greater than Qatar, its population is 143.8 times greater.

  • Ideal Scenario: If wealth was distributed equally, the US would need 143.8 times the GDP of Qatar to have the same wealth per person.
  • Actual Scenario: The US GDP is only 72 times that of Qatar. This means the wealth per person is greater in Qatar than in the US.
  • Result: As stated in the reference, there is "more money in Qatar to share around than in the US," making Qatar richer per capita.

Practical Insight

To understand this, imagine a cake. The US has a massive cake (GDP), but also has a huge crowd (population) to share it with. Qatar has a smaller cake (GDP) but also a much smaller crowd. Each person in Qatar gets a larger slice of their cake than each person in the US.

  • Qatar's Advantage: Smaller population compared to the national wealth allows for more prosperity per person.

Conclusion

In summary, when considering the wealth distribution per capita, Qatar's economy provides more resources per person, thus making it a richer nation than the US, despite the USA's larger overall economy.

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