There aren’t that many surprises on 20 richest cities in the world by 2016 GDP per capita list. Most of these are long developed US cities, but there are a few international entrants as well. I say this doesn’t come as a surprise since the USA itself accumulates around one-quarter of the world’s total GDP. Last year we brought you the list of 20 richest cities in the world by 2015 GDP per capita, and that time we used slightly different data sets which shall be reflected in this year list’s changes. This time, we ended up using the GDP per capita, PPP or gross domestic product per capita converted to international dollars. In other words, we have used purchasing power parity rates to determine more realistic, adjusted GDP per capita rates, while using US dollar as the base currency.
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Just like the last year, we have pulled the data from Brookings. 2014 Global Metro Monitor has been our source again, but we had to adjust the values in order for them to reflect the 2016 changes. After all, much can change during the course of two years. Our final figures are the result of initial 2014 figures’ adjustment by applying the 2013/2014 change in GDP per capita percentages for all given cities. We had to apply the change twice in order to gain the wanted figure; once for 2015 and once for 2016. Although this method is far from being precise, it’s one of the very few choices we currently have at our disposal. GDP per capita for countries is a common data calculated on a yearly basis, but GDP per capita for world’s cities isn’t. We get such data on a few years basis at best, so this is our best answer while we wait for more precise figures. Here are the 20 richest cities in the world by 2016 GDP per capita.
20. Des Moines, Iowa (USA)
Projected 2016 GDP per capita, PPP: $64,752
Around 210,000 people living in Des Moines, Iowa can boast with one of the biggest purchasing power parity-adjusted GDP per capita levels in the world. It’s the only city on the list with no projected GDP changes, so we have to assume that $64,752 from 2014 have remained the same for 2016.
