capital-output ratio
Also found in: Encyclopedia.
capital-output ratio
a measure of how much additional CAPITAL is required to produce each extra unit of OUTPUT, or, put the other way round, the amount of extra output produced by each unit of added capital. The capital-output ratio indicates how ‘efficient’ new INVESTMENT is in contributing to ECONOMIC GROWTH. Assuming, for example, a 4:1 capital-output ratio, each four units of extra investment enables national output to grow by one unit. If the capital-output ratio is 2:1, however, then each two units of extra investment expands national income by one unit. See CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, PRODUCTIVITY.See also SOLOW ECONOMIC-GROWTH MODEL.