GDP per capita, long-run history: compare countries

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

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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	United Kingdom	United States	Germany	China
Dec 31, 1999	30,933	44,576	32,088	4,467
Dec 31, 2000	31,946	45,886	33,367	4,730
Dec 31, 2001	32,660	45,878	34,260	4,995
Dec 31, 2002	33,271	46,266	34,591	5,343
Dec 31, 2003	34,232	47,158	34,716	5,649
Dec 31, 2004	34,866	48,493	35,529	6,068
Dec 31, 2005	35,624	49,655	36,206	6,627
Dec 31, 2006	36,214	50,490	38,014	7,271
Dec 31, 2007	36,817	50,902	39,752	7,896
Dec 31, 2008	36,265	50,276	40,715	8,190
Dec 31, 2009	34,402	48,453	38,963	8,734
Dec 31, 2010	34,754	49,267	41,110	9,658
Dec 31, 2011	34,971	49,675	43,189	10,221
Dec 31, 2012	35,244	50,436	43,288	10,947
Dec 31, 2013	35,661	51,011	43,359	11,731
Dec 31, 2014	36,522	51,797	44,133	12,515
Dec 31, 2015	37,101	52,808	44,405	13,325
Dec 31, 2016	37,594	53,301	45,030	14,139
Dec 31, 2017	38,284	54,152	46,065	15,030
Dec 31, 2018	38,705	55,455	46,377	15,977
Dec 31, 2019	39,113	56,469	46,762	16,880
Dec 31, 2020	34,651	54,379	44,996	17,226
Dec 31, 2021	37,134	57,523	46,159	18,667
Dec 31, 2022	38,407	58,487	46,648	19,238

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

United Kingdom

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
1252–1700 (England): Broadberry, S.N., B. Campbell, A. Klein, M. Overton and B. van Leeuwen (2015), British Economic Growth 1270-1870 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1700–1870: Broadberry, S.N., B. Campbell, A. Klein, M. Overton and B. van Leeuwen (2015), British Economic Growth 1270-1870 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1870-1950: C.H. Feinstein, National Income Expenditure and Output of the United Kingdom 1855-1965, Cambridge, 1972

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.

China

1000-1661: Broadberry, S.N., Guan, Hanhui and David Daokui Li (2018), “China, Europe and the Great Divergence: a Study in Historical National Accounting, 980-1850”, Journal of Economic History, 78, 4, 955-1000
1661–1933: Broadberry, S.N., Guan, Hanhui and David Daokui Li (2018), “China, Europe and the Great Divergence: a Study in Historical National Accounting, 980-1850”, Journal of Economic History, 78, 4, 955-1000
1661–1933: Xu, Y. Z. Shi, B. van Leeuwen, Y Ni, Z Zhang, and Y Ma, (2016) 'Chinese National Income, ca. 1661-1933', Australian Economic History Review 57(3), 368–393
1952–2008: Wu, Harry X. (2014), “China’s growth and productivity performance debate revisited – Accounting for China’s sources of growth with a new data set” The Conference Board Economics Program Working Paper Series EWP#14-01.