It is important to understand what the average worker in each country would make in dollars each year. Per Capita Gross National Income or GNI is a fancy way of saying average income. The United Nations data on these statistics is well regarded.

Here is a link to per capita GNI statistics from the United Nations using the Atlas method.
Here is a link to per capita GNI statistics from the United Nations using the PPP method.

Take a look at the data for Afghanistan in 2012. According to the video, $5 buys twice the amount of rice in Afghanistan as in the United States. But what percentage of relative income is that $5 in both countries?

The United Nations classifies countries according to how developed they are. The classification is based on a number of factors including the strength of the economy, the level of industrialization, standard of living and level of technology. Countries are then compared to each other and placed in a category.

Developed Nations

Developing Nations

Least Developed Nations

Next Section »