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    Countries with a higher GDP per Capita than Alabama, the 4th poorest state
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    Countries with a higher GDP per Capita than Alabama, the 4th poorest state


    Countries with a higher GDP per Capita than Alabama, the 4th poorest state

    Posted by Thadlust

    View 34 Comments

    34 Comments

    3. Swimming_Concern7662 on

      Fact: Nebraska and Nigeria has a similar GDP, and Nebraska’s population is 132 times smaller

    5. sluttycupcakes on

      How’s the quality of life in Alabama? That should be proof enough that GDP per capita is a meaningless measure for the average person.

    6. Ana_Na_Moose on

      This is indeed important to note within proper context. Alabama indeed generates more wealth than even most western countries. But generating wealth is not the same as median income, nor quality of life. It is a good measure for some aspects of an economy, but an extremely roundabout way to measure prosperity of the people.

      Edit: I am calling out the use of GDP numbers by many to try to justify claims of prosperity. I don’t know enough about Alabama’s economy to make specific claims regarding that state

    9. emperorsolo on

      Fun fact: if you added any Canadian province to the United States, each one would be poorer than the top 4 poorest states currently in the Union.

    12. AckerHerron on

      Life expectancy in Alabama is 72.18, putting it below countries like Iraq, Syria and Bangladesh.

      But yeah… Alabama is just great /s

    17. LanguidLapras131 on

      Alabama is a welfare state. If it stopped leeching off NY and CA it would be as poor as bosnia 

    18. OnAnOpenFieldNed on

      charts like this don’t radicalize americans because they think because their overlords are hoarding the products of their sweat, that they’re somehow wealthy as well

      this hsit is so sad to see

      although GDP isn’t an accurate representation of wealth production, even still. just so sad

    20. SmoothCauliflower640 on

      This isn’t apples and apples. Alabamians dont have portable healthcare. They don’t have universal healthcare. They don’t get several weeks of paid vacation per year. Alabama parents don’t split two years of parental leave, per kid. They don’t have unions, for the most part. They don’t have free transit. They don’t have a truly multiparty democracy either. And is this an average? Or the median? Averages mean nothing anymore in an America where 1% of us now own 36% of all wealth. Or where a poor Alabamian is now hundreds of times more likely to get audited than even a rich Alabamian. And look at how dangerous American states are for children. When was the last time Norway or even Nigeria had more than two school shootings in a year? What a joke “statistic”.

    21. jtul24 on

      I will say that expenses are still considerably higher in the U.S., which is why areas of South Korea, Japan, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Belgium and Austria may still have better quality of life/ which I believe is reflected in HDI data.

    22. ser_reptitious on

      This makes it look like the average person in Alabama is financially better off than the average person in most other developed countries.

      What I’d like to see if the **median** income in Alabama vs. other countries.

      I’m not sure the average Alabama resident is better off than, say, the average Swede when it comes to standard of living, healthcare, education and retirement coverage.

      I could be wrong but I’m just curious.

    23. NearSightedPicasso on

      Yeah, not sure this is at all accurate. Alabama nominal GDP per capita = $61,846.

      Countries higher than this that are not highlighted on the map: Sweden ($66,124), Austria ($65,640), Israel ($64,275), Belgium ($63,896), Germany ($63,600).

      But also, if we are breaing up by provinces, then Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Yukon, and Saskatchawan are all higher. The Paris region is higher, so is West and East London, Tokyo, Prague, Helsinki, Ulsan in South Korea. So yeah…check the data.

    26. Expensive_Flight_579 on

      Numbers are funny things. A few big chemical plants that sell billions to the military and government agencies but do not lift the people out of poverty is not much to be proud of.

    27. mhyquel on

      Isn’t Ireland a tax shelter for most fortune 500 companies that don’t want to do business in the Caymans?

    32. jchall3 on

      Median income in Alabama is [$62,000](https://www.al.com/news/2025/10/alabamians-are-earning-more-money-especially-in-these-counties.html).

      Median income in UK is [£34,500 (~$46,500)](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth)

      The cost of living in the UK is [27.9% more.](https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/alabama-usa/united-kingdom) than Alabama.

      As other have pointed out it’s hard to do a 1:1 comparison of true income power (for example those with employer health insurance fare much better off than those without in the US).

      Many have pointed out college education, but it’s worth saying for residents that the University of Alabama’s 2026 tuition was $5,800/semester. UA estimates a 4-year degree (including food, housing, fees, etc.) to be [~$36,000.](https://afford.ua.edu/cost/). This is one of the cheapest in the United States.