Which change is really bigger?

Build a careful route from the GDP indicator and its institutional metadata to total-versus-per-person comparisons, percentage change and a game about choosing the measure that fits the question.

A plain-language guide to gross domestic product, real versus nominal values and the limits of country rankings.

Move from Italy's durable country identity to European relationships, economic measures, percentage literacy and a country-clue game without turning one national statistic into a national score.

GDP per capita divides an economy's gross domestic product by its population. It converts an aggregate into a per-person average, but it still does not show how income is distributed or what a particular household receives.

Gross domestic product is a national-accounts estimate of production within an economy during a period. It is a powerful activity measure, but not a complete score of prosperity, distribution, sustainability or personal wellbeing.

The World Bank Group is a family of international development institutions that provides financing, knowledge and public data. Its indicator catalogue is widely used, but every series still needs its own definition and metadata.

Italy is a southern European republic extending into the Mediterranean. Its geography, regions, institutions, long historical record and membership of the European Union create many connected routes through the knowledge library.

GDP and GDP per capita begin with the same production aggregate but answer different questions. One describes total economic scale; the other divides that total by population to create a per-person average.

The release is a useful example of why a percentage needs its time comparison, adjustment method, coverage and revision status before it becomes an economic story.

Choose the right concept for GDP, emergency savings, averages and percentages.