[acchow]

GDP per capita is not a measure of actual societal progress. You have societies that don’t have natural gas pipes or potable water and so they buy tanks of propanw and bottles of water which is expensive (higher GDP) but doesn’t give a better quality of living. Instead, if you built the infrastructure then the costs (and GDP) for the same/better outcome would be lower.

For America, we burn a lot of productivity on vehicles that last 10ish years plus the gasoline to drive them. In much of Europe, they get the same/better experience with extensive subways and bike lanes and high speed rail.

[esoterica]

GDP per capita is not the only metric by which America is wealthier than other developed countries. Median incomes are also higher.