Final answer:
The answer is D. real GDP per person. GDP per capita is commonly used to directly measure the average standard of living across countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
GDP per capita is commonly used to directly measure the average standard of living across countries. This is because it takes into account the economic output per person, allowing for a more accurate comparison between countries with different population sizes.
For example, GDP per capita considers countries like Belgium, Uruguay, or Zimbabwe, with smaller populations, and compares them with countries that have larger populations, like the United States, the Russian Federation, or Nigeria.
The answer to the question is D. real GDP per person.