Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

To start, we chose Ghana, 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	Ghana	United States	Germany
Dec 31, 1999	19,327	279,040	81,439
Dec 31, 2000	19,792	282,162	81,474
Dec 31, 2001	20,280	284,969	81,534
Dec 31, 2002	20,806	287,625	81,595
Dec 31, 2003	21,350	290,108	81,566
Dec 31, 2004	21,900	292,805	81,473
Dec 31, 2005	22,469	295,517	81,354
Dec 31, 2006	23,058	298,380	81,190
Dec 31, 2007	23,661	301,231	81,009
Dec 31, 2008	24,270	304,094	80,781
Dec 31, 2009	24,899	306,772	80,500
Dec 31, 2010	25,559	309,327	80,301
Dec 31, 2011	26,244	311,583	80,292
Dec 31, 2012	26,945	313,878	80,443
Dec 31, 2013	27,664	316,060	80,663
Dec 31, 2014	28,405	318,386	81,000
Dec 31, 2015	29,146	320,739	81,704
Dec 31, 2016	29,879	323,072	82,366
Dec 31, 2017	30,617	325,122	82,674
Dec 31, 2018	31,362	326,838	82,923
Dec 31, 2019	32,111	328,330	83,110
Dec 31, 2020	32,864	331,512	83,178
Dec 31, 2021	33,622	332,032	83,213
Dec 31, 2022	34,280	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

Ghana

1885-1950: Broadberry, S., & Gardner, L. (2022). Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1885–2008: Evidence from eight countries. Explorations in Economic History, 83, 101424.

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.