The economics of global personality diversity
Abstract
This study explores the relationship between personality diversity and national economic performance, introducing the Global Personality Diversity Index (-GPDI) as a novel metric. Leveraging a dataset of 760,242 individuals across 135 countries, we quantify within-country diversity based on the Big Five personality traits. Our findings reveal that personality diversity accounts for 19.9% of the variance in GDP per capita and provides an additional 2.8% explanatory power beyond institutional quality and immigration, underscoring its unique contribution to economic vitality. Through multi-factor analysis, we demonstrate how personality diversity complements existing economic frameworks, offering actionable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance innovation, productivity, and resilience. This research positions psychological diversity as a critical yet under explored factor in driving economic growth, bridging the fields of psychology and economics.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2503.19388,
title = {The economics of global personality diversity},
author = {Paul X. McCarthy and Xian Gong and Marieth Coetzer and Marian-Andrei Rizoiu and Margaret L. Kern and John A. Johnson and Richard Holden and Fabian Braesemann},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.19388},
year = {2025}
}