noun
capita
noun
1
Heads, or individual persons — almost always seen in the fixed phrase "per capita," meaning "for each person."
"Income per capita rose sharply after the factory opened."
"The country has a high number of doctors per capita."
How to Use Capita
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsed to mean "per person," as in statistics that divide a total by the number of people.
Common mistake
Almost never used alone in English — it appears in the set phrase "per capita," not as a standalone noun.
Common pairings
per capita income
per capita spending
GDP per capita
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Income per _____ rose sharply after the factory opened.
Etymology
From Latin capita, the plural of caput ("head") — the same root that gives English "capital" and "decapitate."