USA: 14 countries have higher GDP per capita

This still is the best country on earth, but as a nation we are not the best, in many areas we are not even one of the top 25 nations.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010

USA is no longer the top producer – it has fallen to spot # 15 looking at GDP per capita.

It is amazing how a  little country like Finland, with practically no natural resources except wood, is doing better than USA, in many other categories as well, such as education, which can hint at future productivity and competitiveness. Finnish workers get a minimum of 5 weeks paid time off from work. If they only had 15 days off like most workers get in USA, would they be more productive? I doubt it. US work force is stressed out which has a major impact on health and hurts the economy.

Norway is up there because of the oil they have. But Norway is falling behind in education when compared to the other Scandinavian countries. Higher GDP does not translate into better education.

Iceland will have a much lower GDP per capita for 2009 because the country went bankrupt as a result of the US financial crisis.

GDP (current prices) per capita (hard data)

Gross domestic product (current prices) per capita in US dollars | 2008
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook Database (April 2008); European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; national sources

Complete table is on page 355 of the report.