Legal Definitions - per capita

Per capita is a term used to describe something that is distributed, measured, or allocated equally among each individual person. It signifies that each person receives an identical share or is counted individually in a calculation, rather than by family line or group.

• Example 1: Public Health Spending

  A national health organization might report that a country's healthcare expenditure is $5,000 per capita. This means that if the total amount spent on healthcare in that country were divided equally among every single person living there, each individual would theoretically account for $5,000 of that spending.

  This illustrates per capita by showing how a large, total sum (national healthcare budget) is broken down and expressed as an average amount attributable to each individual person in the population.

• Example 2: Charitable Fund Distribution

  A community foundation establishes a scholarship fund of $50,000 to support local high school graduates pursuing higher education. If the foundation decides to distribute the funds per capita among all 10 eligible students who applied, each student would receive an equal scholarship of $5,000.

  Here, per capita means that the total fund is divided equally among every individual recipient, ensuring each person gets the same amount regardless of their specific circumstances beyond eligibility.

• Example 3: Estate Distribution in a Will

  A will specifies that a particular collection of antique books should be divided per capita among the testator's three nieces and two nephews. This means that each of the five individuals (three nieces and two nephews) will receive an equal one-fifth share of the book collection, rather than the distribution being influenced by which sibling's children they are.

  This demonstrates per capita in an estate context, where assets are distributed equally to each named individual beneficiary, treating them all as distinct "heads" for the purpose of division.