Biocapacity per person equals total biocapacity of a region divided by the region’s population. The average biocapacity per person for the entire world is 1.6 global hectares. Countries with an average biocapacity of 3.2 global hectares per person have twice as many resources as the world average.

An ecological deficit occurs when the Ecological Footprint of a population exceeds the biocapacity of the area available to that population. A national ecological deficit means that the country is net-importing biocapacity through trade, liquidating national ecological assets or emitting more carbon dioxide waste into the atmosphere than its own ecosystems absorb. In contrast, an ecological reserve exists when the biocapacity of a region exceeds its population’s Ecological Footprint.

The Ecological Footprint measures how much demand human consumption places on the biosphere. It is measured in standard units called global hectares.

The Ecological Footprint per person is a nation’s total Ecological Footprint divided by the total population of the nation. To live within the means of our planet’s resources, the world’s Ecological Footprint would have to equal the available biocapacity per person on our planet, which is currently 1.6 global hectares. So if a nation’s Ecological Footprint per person is 6.4 global hectares, its residents are demanding four times the resources and wastes that our planet can regenerate and absorb in the atmosphere.

Biocapacity is the area of biologically productive land and ocean area to provide food, fiber, and timber, accommodate urban infrastructure, and absorb excess CO2. Biocapacity reflects current management practices and is measured in standard units called global hectares.