Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

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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	Germany	United States	Iceland	South Africa
Dec 31, 1999	81,439	279,040	277	46,257
Dec 31, 2000	81,474	282,162	281	46,958
Dec 31, 2001	81,534	284,969	285	47,820
Dec 31, 2002	81,595	287,625	288	48,480
Dec 31, 2003	81,566	290,108	289	48,951
Dec 31, 2004	81,473	292,805	293	49,478
Dec 31, 2005	81,354	295,517	296	50,054
Dec 31, 2006	81,190	298,380	304	50,667
Dec 31, 2007	81,009	301,231	311	51,339
Dec 31, 2008	80,781	304,094	319	52,077
Dec 31, 2009	80,500	306,772	319	52,862
Dec 31, 2010	80,301	309,327	318	53,682
Dec 31, 2011	80,292	311,583	319	54,518
Dec 31, 2012	80,443	313,878	321	55,356
Dec 31, 2013	80,663	316,060	324	56,215
Dec 31, 2014	81,000	318,386	327	57,075
Dec 31, 2015	81,704	320,739	331	57,947
Dec 31, 2016	82,366	323,072	335	58,830
Dec 31, 2017	82,674	325,122	343	59,715
Dec 31, 2018	82,923	326,838	353	60,595
Dec 31, 2019	83,110	328,330	361	61,469
Dec 31, 2020	83,178	331,512	366	62,355
Dec 31, 2021	83,213	332,032	372	62,900
Dec 31, 2022	83,811	333,288	380	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

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.

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).

Iceland

1870-1945: Jonsson, G. (1998). The gross domestic product of Iceland, 1870-1945. Nordiska Historiska Nasjonalregnkaper, Artikkelsamling from Workshop IV, Solstrand 13-15 NOvember 1998.

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