NationStates Jolt Archive

For those who are interested in using (at least approximately) Real World figures for Gross Domestic Product per capita, here is some numbers based on the information found at the CIA World Factbook (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/countrylisting.html).

I took the 227 countries and territories for which the Factbook gave a GDP. There are 23 countries and territories with no population (hence no GDP) and 6 where the Factbook gives the GDP as "NA". I don't know if that's "Not Available" or "Not Applicable".

Anyway, I sorted the 227 countries and territories by GDP per capita, divided into 15 sections (15 countries and territories in each, with 16 in the 7th and 15th), averaged the amounts, and rounded to the nearest $100.

From highest number to lowest, the chart goes:

1 -- 31200
2 -- 25100
3 -- 19800
4 -- 15700
5 -- 10600
6 --- 8600
7 --- 6700
8 --- 5200
9 --- 4200
10 -- 3200
11 -- 2400
12 -- 1800
13 -- 1400
14 -- 1000
15 --- 600



There's a list somewhere around here of the names for Economic Levels, but I don't know where it is.


With that chart, this one, and your country' population, you can determine your country's GDP, and from that you likely military budget, etc.

I plan to post more information gleaned from numbers taken from the Factbook, or perhaps put up a webpage with all the data I have.

The GDP Calculator was roughly based on the same stats, but the top and bottom rankings for GDP per capita were exaggerated some.

There's a list somewhere around here of the names for Economic Levels, but I don't know where it is.


I found it. It's at:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47301

Using the the CIA World Factbook (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/countrylisting.html).

Divided the 227 countries and territories into 15 sections (15 countries and territories in each, with 16 in the 7th and 15th), averaged the amounts, and rounded to the nearest $100.

From highest number to lowest, the chart goes:

Frightening -- $31,200
All-Consuming -- $25,100
Powerhouse -- $19,800
Thriving -- $15,700
Very Strong -- $10,600
Strong -- $8,600
Good -- $6,700
Fair -- $5,200
Reasonable -- $4,200
Developing -- $3,200
Struggling -- $2,400
Weak -- $1,800
Fragile -- $1,400
Basket Case -- $1,000
Imploded -- $600



With this chart and your country' population, you can determine your country's GDP, and from that you likely military budget, etc.

*BUMP*

Say, moderators, could you sticky this please?

Likely they'll add it to Scolo's List instead.

There are only two other stickies, the flag service because it is a more one time thing that peope wouldn't think to look for, and the FAQ for the same reason.

Likely they'll add it to Scolo's List instead.

There are only two other stickies, the flag service because it is a more one time thing that peope wouldn't think to look for, and the FAQ for the same reason.

Good point, which is why I mentioned it in a post to that thread. :)

Bümp

Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland have the highest GDP per capitas. So technically, their economies would be ranked higher than that of the US.
Haha owned.

Luxembourg has a higher per capita GDP than the USA, but the USA is second. Switerland is fifth, and Liechtenstein is 26th.

See http://www.freewebs.com/vexillo/militarism.htm for the info I gathered from The World Factbook.

I love threads like this. :)

]I love threads like this. :)

Not a typical admin :? I love comments like this 8)
I learn more every day :P
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CorinThe
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]I love threads like this. :)

Glad to oblige. ;)

I'm totally confused on how you work it out! I know where I am on the chart and I know my population but I just don't get how you use that to work anything out.
These thing's aren't my strong point so you can't laugh.

I'm totally confused on how you work it out! I know where I am on the chart and I know my population but I just don't get how you use that to work anything out.
These thing's aren't my strong point so you can't laugh.

When you log in, the first page you see is one with information on your country. Take the rating under "Economy," your country's population, and the tax rate from that page. Use my chart up there |^| to find the GDP/person. Multiply that by the population to find your country's Gross Domestic Product. Multiply *that* by the tax rate, and that is your country's budget.

IRL, countries don't get to tax **ALL** of the GDP, but this is NationStates, and certain simplifications are both allowed and necessary.

"But," some might say, "my country taxes the rich at a higher rate than ordinary folks! What do I do?" Fudge it; add 2%-4% to the budget. More than that is unreasonable; history proves that every time a country uses a so-called "progressive" income tax, there is very little increase in the govt's income. The rich have influence, and always get big, BIG breaks. Indeed, for increased verisimilitude, you should *decrease* the budget by 1%-10%.

Or, don't bother accounting for a "progressive" income tax.

Wow! I got some interesting figures I used your method and then I used the other GDP calculator both of which show me my nations budget and if I gotta use one it has to be yours because it means my budget is bigger.

Significantly bigger not just big I mean BIG :!:

I use the GDP calculator in the interest of having a consistent account of economies accross NationStates.

Personally, I'd like to see the upper end expanded a bit. This is not because it isn't an accurate division of countries in the real world--it is--but because NationStates isn't the real world. NationStates is a science-fiction universe, where nations battle with future tech weaponry and "Iron-Fist Consumerists" run their countries like meaner-than-usual corporations.

If it were me, I'd make the richest economies in the real world correspond to "Thriving" or "Powerhouse", and leave the top two ratings for science-fiction levels of opulence (which, at least in NationStates, is usually matched by science-fiction levels of social inequality, but them's the breaks).

<snip>

Personally, I'd like to see the upper end expanded a bit. This is not because it isn't an accurate division of countries in the real world--it is--but because NationStates isn't the real world.
<snip>
If it were me, I'd make the richest economies in the real world correspond to "Thriving" or "Powerhouse", and leave the top two ratings for science-fiction levels of opulence
<snip>

Since a number of people have brought this and similar matters up, I have two things to say:

A) I intended this as a touchstone, a way to reference the real world when one is deciding how to treat one's imaginary nation in NationStates. Since the GDPcalc so biased, something else (IMO) was needed.

B) To help those who wish for something more fictitious than the figures I've given, here is another list. In this one, I multiplied or divided the raw figures by 1.05 (105%), compounded for each step away from the median level of "Fair". That is, the figure from the data in the World Factbook was multiplied by 1.05 for Good, by (1.05 * 1.05) for Strong, divided by 1.05 for Reasonable, divided by (1.05 * 1.05) for Developing, and so on for the other tiitles. Rounding to the nearest 100, the chart turns out like so:

Frightening -- $43,900
All Consuming -- $33,700
Powerhouse -- $25,200
Thriving -- $19,000
Very Strong -- $12,300
Strong -- $9,400
Good -- $7,100
Fair -- $5,200
Reasonable -- $4,400
Developing -- $2,900
Struggling -- $2,100
Weak -- $1,500
Fragile -- $1,100
Basket Case -- $700
Imploded -- $400

Bÿmp

well id say that on all scales of ratinbgs the top two ratings are extreme and exceed anything in the real world.

Pwerhouse would be a world leading economy, from the USA to Germany maybe somehwere from $35000 to $25000 per head,(last few years ignored) Thriving would be economies doing well but not leading, like the UK and most of Western Europe $25000 to $20000. Very strong would be just that economies who are not quite world leaders but have no shortage of money, like Spain and Italy, Portugal, Strong would be again stable and productive economies but well below the western world, the stronger ex communist nations like Poland would be the example id use, with Good being the eaker end of this group. After this it gets into the second world countries like Brazil and eventually reaches Africa. I very much doubt in the real world or NS that the categories are distributed evenly. ANd as we are mainly westerners economies will not be an accurate cross section of real world ideals..

So id say most calculators tend to line up fairly well, but i just use them for a rough guide to GDP per head and ignore them beyond that.

though the tax system is a differenent issue, as tax isnt just income tax, when i do this i have a formula i use to account for indirect tax etc....

GDP calcs are useless for tax as they rarely seem to account for this.

I use a formula which adds more indirect tax as the incom e tax rises and the government gets more interventionist (tax rates rise faster than income tax), but after a certain point, the indirect section tails off, as direct tax takes over (overall tax revenue rises as income tax does but by less) finnally after 90% there would be no point in other taxes so tax=income tax... and it works smoothly...

the amount of indirect tax would depnd on the governemnt but for me at its peak it add 15% to the rate.

Oh and "Higher for wealthy" should add more tax too. WHile having no income tax should still yeild some tax. (for that i assume income tax below 5%=5%) as it would still have a government with some budget.

Please don't gravedig old threads.