Per capita

Per capita

Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning "for each head" with "Per" meaning 'through' or 'by'...and..."capita" (sg.: caput) meaning 'heads'. Both words together equate to the phrase 'for each head'.

It is usually used in the field of statistics to indicate the average "per person" for any given concern, such as income, crime rate, etc.

It is also used in wills to indicate that each of the named beneficiaries should receive, by devise or bequest, equal shares of the estate. This is in contrast to a per stirpes division, in which each branch of the inheriting family inherits an equal share of the estate. It is usually a sum divided by an amount of people.

ee also

*Crime rate
*Per capita income
*World Population Prospects


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  • per capita — per cap·i·ta /pər ka pə tə/ adv or adj [Medieval Latin, by heads] 1: equally to each individual all property to pass to the descendants per capita used of a method of distributing an esp. intestate estate compare per stirpes ◇ Per capita… …   Law dictionary

  • per capita — per cap‧i‧ta [pə ˈkæptə ǁ pər ] adverb ECONOMICS for or by each person: • Japanese visitors spending per capita was much higher than average spending by tourists from other countries. • The US uses twice as much oil per capita as European… …   Financial and business terms

  • Per cápita — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Per cápita es una locución latina de uso actual que significa literalmente por cabezas (está formada por la preposición per y el acusativo plural de caput, capitis cabeza ). Generalmente, se utiliza para indicar la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • per-capita — per cap‧i‧ta [pə ˈkæptə ǁ pər ] adverb ECONOMICS for or by each person: • Japanese visitors spending per capita was much higher than average spending by tourists from other countries. • The US uses twice as much oil per capita as European… …   Financial and business terms

  • per capita — means ‘by heads’ and has largely replaced the more strictly correct form per caput (‘for each head’) as the normal way of saying ‘for each person or head (of population)’. Fowler (1926) regarded this use of per capita as ‘a modern blunder,… …   Modern English usage

  • Per Capita — is a left wing Australian think tank. It is [http://andrewleigh.com/?p=1260 described] as a new independent think tank dedicated to the advancement of progressive public policy in Australia . It claims Progressive ideas are currently not well… …   Wikipedia

  • per cápita — Loc. lat. que significa ‘por cabeza, por individuo’. Se usa normalmente en referencia a una variable económica que se distribuye entre los componentes de un grupo: «Los países que más gastaron per cápita en defensa en 1995 fueron Chile [...],… …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

  • per capita — per cap|i|ta [ pər kæpıtə ] adjective FORMAL based on calculations that show the average amount for each person affected: a rise in per capita income ╾ per cap|i|ta adverb: Britain spends more per capita on defense than many other European… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • per capita — 1680s, Latin, lit. by the head, from per (see PER (Cf. per)) + capita head (see CAPITAL (Cf. capital)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • per capita — per cap|i|ta [pə ˈkæpıtə US pər ] adj, adv formal [Date: 1600 1700; : Latin; Origin: by heads ] used to describe the average amount of something in a particular place, calculated according to the number of people who live there ▪ the country s… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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