2024’s GDP Per Capita Rankings: Which Countries Are On Top and Who’s Falling Behind

In this post, we examine how countries rank by GDP per capita, based on 2024 IMF data. There is some difference between GDP and GDP per capita. While GDP indicates total economic output of a country, GDP per capita indicates the average economic output per person by dividing it with the population of the country. The population factor makes countries with lesser populations appear at the top.

That is the reason Luxembourg is the country with the highest GDP per capita in 2024, while it was ranked third in 2014. It has a population of 669,000 and has $144K GDP per capita in 2024. It is followed by Macao and then Ireland in second and third position respectively.

The USA is the only top ten economy with the highest GDP per capita in 2024. Ranking at ninth position, it has GDP per capita of $85K. There are only two countries with more than 10 million population being ranked in the top 14. These two countries are the USA and Taiwan.

In the 2014 ranking of countries with the highest GDP per capita, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Kuwait and Andorra were present. But they have left the top 14 list. The countries which have been added in the top 14 list are Guyana, Denmark, Ireland and Taiwan.

Rank	Country	GDP per Capita 2024	Population
1	Luxembourg	$144K	669,000
2	Macao SAR	$134K	704,000
3	Ireland	$134K	5,200,000
4	Singapore	$134K	5,900,000
5	Qatar	$112K	2,700,000
6	United Arab Emirates	$97K	9,500,000
7	Switzerland	$92K	8,900,000
8	San Marino	$87K	33,000
9	United States	$85K	334,000,000
10	Norway	$83K	5,500,000
11	Guyana	$80K	813,000
12	Denmark	$78K	5,900,000
13	Brunei	$78K	452,000
14	Taiwan	$77K	23,900,000

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• Study: 36% Use Password Managers, 79% Opt for Free, and Google Leads with 32% Adoption
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

2024 Study: 36% Use Password Managers, 79% Opt for Free, and Google Leads with 32% Adoption

In the fourth annual study of the Password Manager Industry by SecurityOrg, it was found that very little has changed about people’s habits when it comes to managing their online accounts and passwords. The study was done among 1,000 Americans and explored different factors when it comes to adoption of password managers, its impact and what area of digital security do people prioritize the most.

According to the study, 36% of the respondents are using a password manager in 2024 to simplify their personal cybersecurity, and store and auto-fill their passwords. It is a 2% increase from 2023 and 15% increase from 2022. The study also found out that 29% of the US adults had their login details or online identity stolen in the past year.

There are different methods adults are using to manage their multiple passwords in 2024. The most used method is memorization of passwords (51%), followed by using a password manager (36%). Some people also have their passwords saved in browsers (34%) and some have noted them down on their computers or mobiles (26%).

The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has given some guidelines about making a strong password. They say that a password made up of a collection of unrelated words without space is stronger than a password which uses unusual characters. Many people are also saving their passwords in browsers which is an unsafe way as most of the times it lacks encryption and versatility. The least used method to manage passwords is using security passkeys. 10% of Americans are using this method and it has a low adoption rate right now as it is a newer method to save passwords.

The study also talked about most popular password managers in 2024. Google Password Manager is dominating right now with 32% of American adults using it in 2024, followed by Apple’s iCloud Keychain or Passwords app being used by 23% of people. Other password managers like LastPass, Bitwarden, NordPass and 1Password are declining right now. The respondents were asked why they chose the password managers they are using right now. The majority answered that the password manager they are using right now is easy to use and has user-friendly integration. Some said that their trust and familiarity with password managers/companies is the reason they are using it while some used password managers because of recommendations and reviews from other people. Some also use their chosen password manager because of extra security and synchronization they provide to its users.

Respondents were also asked how much the password manager they are using costs them. 79% said that the password manager they are using is free, while 7% pay $1-$20 per year for their password manager. Only 1% of the respondents were paying $60 for a password manager per year. The study also covered the reasons why people use password managers. Most people use password managers because they have more passwords than they can remember correctly (78%). 67% said that they use password managers to login across different devices. 55% also used password managers to generate complex passwords.

They also found that people without password managers are twice as likely to experience identity theft than people with password managers. Most of the people are also using password managers on laptop or desktop computers (90%) while 83% are using it on mobile phones in 2024. Only 36% are using password managers on their tablets. In 2024, 61% of the people are using password managers for their work and personal use, 38% are using it for personal use only and 1% are using it for work only. It is seen that people have started using password managers for their work as well over the past years, instead of just using them for personal use. 76% said that they will consider using a password manager in the future, while 24% answered with no.

Upon asking the reason why some people are not using password managers, 37% said they don't think that they need one, 23% said that they don't believe that they are secure, 16% are not sure about how they work and 9% believe that they cost too much. Some also think that password managers are confusing or complicated.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google’s Gemini AI Chatbot Under Fire For Releasing ‘Out of the Blue’ Death Threat To Student

A student in Michigan received a huge shock from his Gemini AI chatbot who out of the blue rolled out a death threat.

The popular tool is considered to be many people’s guide for writing essays so to hear this news has left a lot of questions in people’s minds. While working with his sister, the chatbot requested him to ‘Please Die’. Taken aback, Sumedha Reddy shared screenshots of the encounter that were disturbing in all regards. A Google-generated link was also added to the chat.

Image: DIW

Sumedha asked others about their experience with the chatbot and if this was a routine incident as they’d never come across something like this in the past. As per the students’ experience, it was eye-opening and scary.

The sibling duo were trying to write a gerontology essay so they began the conversation with a prompt. This included asking about the current challenges that older individuals face when trying to stretch income after retiring.

While Gemini did produce a host of responses, as usual, making clear-cut sense. Things took a turn for the worse when its final message went far astray from the topic in question. It calls the individual a waste of time and resources and highlights him as a burden to society. This was followed up by adding how they’re draining the earth and staining the universe.

The final statement says, ‘Please Die!’ and that comes with another emphasis on Please!

The encounter led the family to really transform their views on Google’s popular chatbot, saying it was negative and really added a panic auro to the room. When Google was asked to respond, it explained how the reply did not make sense and was against all of its policies.

They said it’s violated all of their rules and they hope to take strict and immediate action to stop similar incidents from arising again.

We already know about a shocking incident from last month where a young boy took his life after chatting with the AI chatbot on a page called Character.ai. The mom took legal action with claims about the tech being the driving force of her child’s death. As far as the latest update on this incident is concerned, it’s trying to change its policies.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Gartner Warns 40% of Data Centers May Face Power Shortages by 2025 Amid AI Surge

According to a new report from Gartner, almost 40% of data centers will have no power to function completely by 2025. Meta, Google, Microsoft and Elon Musk's companies are using a lot of data centers with hundreds to thousands of graphic cards which use a lot of energy. Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer is expected to reach 500 Terawatt-hours by 2027. This is almost the double power that is needed right now to run a data center.

Meta is also building a lot of new data centers, while Microsoft is also looking to add more data centers. Microsoft is also planning to use Three Mile Island as the nuclear power there can help to fulfill energy needs. Amazon and Google are also looking for nuclear power to run their data centers.

VP analyst at Gartner, Bob Johnson, says that more data centers are needed to handle and run the big amounts of data used by large language models(LLMs) and AI applications. However, this can cause short term as well as long term power shortages which can cause some problems in generation, transmission and distribution of power. Gartner also predicts that electricity prices are also going to increase because of its high demand and it will very likely cause carbon emissions. Overall, this can play a huge part in climate change.

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Even though many experts believe that AI can help humans solve the climate crisis, their tech is hugely responsible for causing problems in the environment. The only way to reduce carbon emissions is by using renewable energy sources and using efficient computer hardware.

Image: DIW-AIgen

Read next: Teens Lack Media Literacy Skills, Exposing Them to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories On Social Media
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Teens Lack Media Literacy Skills, Exposing Them to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories On Social Media

According to a new study by The News Literacy Project, most teens see a lot of conspiracy theories online but they do not have any media literacy to differentiate what’s true from false. The study was done among 1,000 teens of ages 13 to 18. The study says that many teens cannot tell if an information or news online is biased or not, and they trust it without finding the sources. This shows that teens are not being taught media literacy which is important for them in their daily lives.

80% of the respondents of the survey said that they frequently see conspiracy theories on their social media feeds, while 20% reported seeing them daily. Even though teens do not believe every single conspiracy theory they see online, 81% said they do believe one or two of them. Commonly conspiracy theories on the internet include covid vaccines being dangerous, earth being flat and 2020 elections being rigged.

The survey says that even though teens are seeing a lot of conspiracy theories, they are not being educated about media literacy. Less than 40% of the respondents said that their schools have taught them about media literacy during the past two months. The survey also asked respondents to identify whether an ad, photo or article is real or fake.

More than half of the teens were unable to identify fake content. Teens were also asked if they’ll believe a press release from Coca-Cola or Reuters. 56% answered Reuters and this shows that teens are more likely to believe well-known brands over a credible news source. What teens could really identify was photos. 70% of the respondents could tell an AI-generated image to a real image.

70% of the teens also said that they believe that news organizations are biased. 15% of the respondents also said that they watch or read news to stay informed on different matters. The news medium trusted most by teens was Local TV, followed by TikTok. Out of all the things in the survey,all teens agreed on one thing. 94% of the respondents said that schools should offer some type of media literacy degree.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Global App Spend Surpasses $110B in Q3, Driven by 12.4% YoY Growth Across Google Play and iOS

According to Sensor Tower’s Digital Market Index report, Q3 of 2024 set some high records across the digital economy. Mobile app economy saw its peak this quarter as the global consumer spend across Google Play and iOS surpassed $38 billion, which is a 12.4% increase year-over-year. Other sectors like digital advertising and retail media also set some records on mobile apps. There was a 10% YoY increase seen in the digital ad market in the US and the total digital ad spend reached $30 billion in Q3 2024. There was a 5% increase in other markets too like Germany, UK and Canada.

On September 5th 2024, the global consumer spend on Google Play and iOS reached a $100 billion milestone, which is quicker than it was in 2023. By the end of Q3 2024, global consumer spend surpassed $110 billion. There were some news trends seen on mobile apps. Games were always dominating but in Q3 2024, there was a 25% YoY rise in mobile apps too. Games still have the top spot with $20.4 billion consumer spend while apps had $17.7 billion consumer spend.

Europe saw a strong mobile performance with consumer spend rising by 25% YoY. A 13% and 6% YoY growth YoY was seen in North America and Asia respectively. The US is still going to be a dominating market for app developers even though it is lagging behind Europe. Europe’s growth in consumer spend was higher than the US, but the US still had $1.1 billion YoY growth which is higher than Europe.

A year ago, TikTok became the first app to reach $1 billion in a quarter and it got $1.5 billion in consumer spend in Q3 2024 because of mobile monetisation. Other top ten apps had somewhat the same consumer spend this quarter with Instagram, YouTube, Google, Disney+ and Tinder being at the top five. In terms of number of downloads, Instagram surpassed TikTok in Q3 2024. Threads also got into the top ten most downloaded apps in Q3 2024. ChatGPT also made it to the top ten, while Google Gemini was third in quarter-over-quarter download growth. All of the AI chatbots and image generators got $315 million in consumer spend while they got 360 million downloads, showing 26% and 15% QoQ growth respectively.

The digital ad spend in the US also reached $30 billion across OTT, mobile and desktop in Q3 2024. There was a 10% increase YoY and this suggests that it is going to increase in the holiday season. There was also 10% growth in the UK and 7% growth in Germany. Two new markets, South Korea and Japan, were also added in this quarter.

Read next: Google to Withdraw Political Ads in EU Under Upcoming Transparency Standards
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google to Withdraw Political Ads in EU Under Upcoming Transparency Standards

Next year, Google plans to stop showing political ads to European Union users. The new EU rules—meant to promote transparency in political ads and protect voters—bring complex challenges for platforms like Google, making it hard to identify and manage ads across diverse regions. Google's concern is that the new regulations go too far, casting a broad net over what qualifies as a political ad, leading to operational uncertainty.

Google's strategy is to step back from political advertising in Europe ahead of these rules, which take effect in October 2025. Google’s decision isn't new; it has paused political ads in places like France, Canada, and Brazil when regulations lacked clear guidelines.

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The upcoming EU rules demand that political ads be labeled, showing who paid, how much they paid, and which elections or referendums they’re linked to. Advertisers also need user consent for targeting, and personal data of minors or sensitive information can’t be used. YouTube, too, must comply, banning paid political promotions under the EU's standards.

Back in February, Google had flagged the upcoming rule’s ambiguity, worried that unclear definitions might disrupt their ad recommendations. Google's current response is to adapt early and keep evaluating its approach.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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