GDP per capita, long-run history: compare countries

See GDP per capita, long-run history for up to four countries side by side.

To start, we chose Belgium, United States, Germany. Add or remove countries to compare the ones you want.

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GDP per capita, long-run history by country

Annual, International dollars (2011 prices)

Source: Maddison Project Database 2023

GDP per capita, long-run history: latest observations by country
Date	Belgium	United States	Germany
Dec 31, 1999	32,572	44,576	32,088
Dec 31, 2000	33,720	45,886	33,367
Dec 31, 2001	33,923	45,878	34,260
Dec 31, 2002	34,420	46,266	34,591
Dec 31, 2003	34,588	47,158	34,716
Dec 31, 2004	35,740	48,493	35,529
Dec 31, 2005	36,338	49,655	36,206
Dec 31, 2006	37,052	50,490	38,014
Dec 31, 2007	38,083	50,902	39,752
Dec 31, 2008	38,117	50,276	40,715
Dec 31, 2009	36,999	48,453	38,963
Dec 31, 2010	37,739	49,267	41,110
Dec 31, 2011	38,130	49,675	43,189
Dec 31, 2012	38,173	50,436	43,288
Dec 31, 2013	38,170	51,011	43,359
Dec 31, 2014	38,599	51,797	44,133
Dec 31, 2015	39,160	52,808	44,405
Dec 31, 2016	39,457	53,301	45,030
Dec 31, 2017	39,941	54,152	46,065
Dec 31, 2018	40,472	55,455	46,377
Dec 31, 2019	41,156	56,469	46,762
Dec 31, 2020	38,763	54,379	44,996
Dec 31, 2021	40,971	57,523	46,159
Dec 31, 2022	41,872	58,487	46,648

Source: Bolt, J. and van Zanden, J.L. (2024), Maddison style estimates of the evolution of the world economy: A new 2023 update, Journal of Economic Surveys, 1-41, DOI 10.1111/joes.12618. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. The original sources are listed on each page.

All data sources

Original sources of these estimates

GDP pc: 2008 - 2022: Total Economy Database the Conference Board for all countries included in TED. Otherwise UN national accounts statistics

Belgium

1: Scheidel, W. and Friesen, S. J., ‘The size of the economy and the distribution of income in the Roman Empire’, Journal of Roman Studies, 99 (2009), pp. 61–91
1500- 1846: Buyst, E. (2011), “Towards Estimates of Long Term Growth in the Southern Low Countries, ca.1500-1846”, Results presented at the Conference on Quantifying Long Run Economic Development, Venice, 22-24 March, 2011
1846-1913: J. Gadisseur, "Contribution à l'étude de la production agricole en Belgique de 1846 à 1913", Revue belge d'histoire contemporaine, vol. IV, 1-2, 1973,
1913-1950: C. Carbonnelle, "Recherches sur levolution de la production en Belgique de 1900à 1957", Cahiers Economiques de Bruxelles, no. 3, April 1959, p. 358.

United States

1650 - 1790: McCusker, John J., ‘Colonial Statistics’, Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Time to the Present, in S. B. Carter, S. S. Gartner, M. R. Haineset al. New York, Cambridge University Press. V-671.
1790 - 1870: Sutch, R. (2006). National Income and Product. Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Time to the Present, in S. B. Carter, S. S. Gartner, M. R. Haineset al. New York, Cambridge University Press III-23-25.
1800-1830: Prados de la Escosura, L. (2009). “Lost Decades? Economic Performance in Post-Independence Latin America,” Journal of Latin America Studies 41: 279–307. (updated data)
1820-1950: GDP movement from Maddison (1995a), amended for 1820–70 to include income of the indigenous population (taken to be $400 per capita in 1820 and 1870).

Germany

1500-1850: Pfister, U. (2022). Economic Growth in Germany, 1500–1850. The Journal of Economic History, 82(4), 1071–1107
1850-1950: Hoffmann, Grumbach and Hesse, op. cit., pp. 454-5.