Population, long-run history: compare countries

See Population, long-run history for up to four countries side by side.

Countries being compared

Four countries are being compared, the most the chart can show clearly. Remove one to add another.

Population, long-run history by country

Annual, Persons, thousands

Source: Maddison Project Database 2023

Population, long-run history: latest observations by country
Date	Barbados	Belgium	Burkina Faso	South Africa
Dec 31, 1999	273	10,227	11,075	46,257
Dec 31, 2000	274	10,252	11,405	46,958
Dec 31, 2001	275	10,288	11,828	47,820
Dec 31, 2002	276	10,334	12,380	48,480
Dec 31, 2003	278	10,377	12,829	48,951
Dec 31, 2004	279	10,422	13,178	49,478
Dec 31, 2005	280	10,480	13,540	50,054
Dec 31, 2006	281	10,549	13,917	50,667
Dec 31, 2007	282	10,627	14,309	51,339
Dec 31, 2008	283	10,711	14,722	52,077
Dec 31, 2009	285	10,797	15,152	52,862
Dec 31, 2010	286	10,897	15,600	53,682
Dec 31, 2011	287	11,039	16,064	54,518
Dec 31, 2012	288	11,108	16,563	55,356
Dec 31, 2013	289	11,160	17,072	56,215
Dec 31, 2014	290	11,210	17,575	57,075
Dec 31, 2015	291	11,275	18,094	57,947
Dec 31, 2016	291	11,332	18,621	58,830
Dec 31, 2017	292	11,376	19,157	59,715
Dec 31, 2018	293	11,429	19,698	60,595
Dec 31, 2019	294	11,491	20,242	61,469
Dec 31, 2020	294	11,546	20,788	62,355
Dec 31, 2021	295	11,594	21,336	62,900
Dec 31, 2022	295	11,695	21,889	63,382

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.

South Africa

1700–1900 (Cape Colony): Fourie, J. and Van Zanden, J.L. (2013). GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: the Nationals Accounts of a Slave-Based Society, South African Journal of Economics, vol. 81 (4): 467 - 490

No separate list is published for Barbados, Burkina Faso; the database as a whole is cited above.