Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

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

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Population, long-run history by country

Annual, Persons, thousands

Source: Maddison Project Database 2023

Population, long-run history: latest observations by country
Date	China	United States	Germany
Dec 31, 1999	1,248,899	279,040	81,439
Dec 31, 2000	1,258,401	282,162	81,474
Dec 31, 2001	1,267,178	284,969	81,534
Dec 31, 2002	1,275,379	287,625	81,595
Dec 31, 2003	1,283,064	290,108	81,566
Dec 31, 2004	1,290,620	292,805	81,473
Dec 31, 2005	1,298,245	295,517	81,354
Dec 31, 2006	1,305,116	298,380	81,190
Dec 31, 2007	1,311,877	301,231	81,009
Dec 31, 2008	1,318,559	304,094	80,781
Dec 31, 2009	1,324,993	306,772	80,500
Dec 31, 2010	1,331,357	309,327	80,301
Dec 31, 2011	1,339,549	311,583	80,292
Dec 31, 2012	1,349,537	313,878	80,443
Dec 31, 2013	1,357,520	316,060	80,663
Dec 31, 2014	1,366,654	318,386	81,000
Dec 31, 2015	1,373,406	320,739	81,704
Dec 31, 2016	1,382,401	323,072	82,366
Dec 31, 2017	1,390,136	325,122	82,674
Dec 31, 2018	1,395,398	326,838	82,923
Dec 31, 2019	1,400,035	328,330	83,110
Dec 31, 2020	1,402,060	331,512	83,178
Dec 31, 2021	1,402,537	332,032	83,213
Dec 31, 2022	1,401,693	333,288	83,811

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

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.

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.