Export Per Capita
Export Per Capita by country
Commentary
Notable countries
Luxembourg stands far ahead in export per capita at USD 298,670 per person, followed by Singapore at 162,104 and Ireland at 141,198. The top 10 is dominated by European countries, with only Singapore and the United Arab Emirates from Asia breaking into that group. At the other end, Burundi records the lowest value at just USD 20.29 per person, with Yemen and Afghanistan also near the bottom. A notable surprise is the very wide spread between the leaders and the lowest-ranked countries, showing how uneven export intensity is across countries.
Regional trends
Europe has by far the highest continental average at USD 32,030 per person, well ahead of Asia at 10,340. North America, South America, and Oceania cluster much lower, at 4,887, 3,893, and 2,963 respectively. Africa has the lowest regional average at 1,116, and it also contains many of the countries in the bottom 10. Overall, the data suggests a strong concentration of high export-per-capita economies in Europe, while Africa remains far behind on this measure.
Data source
The data comes from the World Bank and is measured in USD per person. It covers 193 countries with available data. A caveat is that the distribution is highly uneven, with a mean of about USD 11,010 and a very large standard deviation of about USD 28,870, so a small number of very high-export countries pull the average upward.
Interpretation
Higher export per capita means a country exports more goods and services relative to its population, which can indicate strong integration into global trade and a high-value export base. Lower values suggest a smaller export sector per resident, though they do not by themselves explain why, since country size, economic structure, and trade specialization all matter. The overall picture is one of extreme inequality in export capacity across countries. High rankings point to strong trade intensity, but low rankings should be read cautiously rather than as a complete measure of economic performance.