What does quota mean?
A quota is a fixed, limited amount or share assigned for a particular purpose, period, or group. It may describe an official restriction, such as a limit on imports, or an institutional target, such as the number of places available in an intake or the output expected from an employee. In everyday use, the word suggests that the amount has been deliberately capped or allocated rather than determined only by demand or supply. Quotas are especially common in government policy, international trade, education, employment, and production planning. The term can also carry a negative implication when a quota excludes people or restricts participation, as with an immigration or hiring quota. In business contexts, a sales or production quota is often a goal assigned to an employee or team, and meeting it may be treated as evidence of performance.
nounA fixed or limited quantity, share, or amount allowed or assigned for a particular purpose or period. A quota may be a numerical limit imposed by an authority, such as on imports, production, hiring, or participation.
- A fixed or limited amount assigned or allowed for a particular purpose or period.
- A share of a total assigned to a person, group, or category.
- A limit on the amount of goods that may be imported, produced, sold, or otherwise used.
- A required number of participants, employees, admissions, or similar items.
"The company has met its monthly production quota despite disruptions to its supply chain."
"The hospital must operate within its agreed quota of specialist appointments."
"The country reduced its import quota for agricultural products."
Use the plural when referring to multiple limits, assigned shares, or targets.
"The government announced tighter quotas for imported steel."
From Latin, quota originally referred to the portion that had been allotted, so the word still carries the idea of a share assigned within fixed boundaries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quota come from?
The word comes from Latin quota, the feminine form of the adjective meaning “which” or “what,” used in the sense of an allotted portion. It entered English in the late 16th century, initially referring to a share or portion assigned to someone. The modern sense of a formally imposed limit developed from that earlier meaning of an assigned share. Its relatives include quantity, quantify, and quantitative, which reflect the related Latin root concerned with amount and number.
How quota is actually used
The word is common in business, government, education, and international trade. In economics and public policy, it often describes an administratively imposed limit or assigned share. It can sound bureaucratic when used of routine corporate targets, but it is the standard term for official limits in trade and regulation.
Easily confused with quota
A quota is a limited amount or share assigned for a purpose, whereas a quote is a statement of a price or a passage reproduced from another work.
A quota is an assigned or permitted limit, while a quotient is the result of dividing one number by another.