Final answer:
Dividing GDP by total population yields GDP per capita, reflecting average income per person, not the contribution of each individual. It's used for comparing economic performance between countries but does not measure individual contributions to wealth generation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dividing the GDP by the total population gives us GDP per capita, which is a measure of the average economic output or income per person in a country and not necessarily the contribution that each individual makes to generate a country's wealth in a year. It's a widely used indicator for comparing the economic performance of different countries because it accounts for population size. However, while GDP per capita is useful for some comparisons, it does not fully represent the well-being of individuals or account for the distribution of income within a country.
Productivity, on the other hand, is output per unit of input, which can be measured using GDP per worker. Changes in GDP and population growth rates affect GDP per capita. If the population grows faster than GDP, GDP per capita decreases, and vice versa. This dynamic illustrates how GDP per capita can change independently of an individual's actual economic contribution.