Population, long-run history: compare countries

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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	Iceland	Switzerland	South Africa
Dec 31, 1999	277	7,258	46,257
Dec 31, 2000	281	7,296	46,958
Dec 31, 2001	285	7,332	47,820
Dec 31, 2002	288	7,384	48,480
Dec 31, 2003	289	7,438	48,951
Dec 31, 2004	293	7,488	49,478
Dec 31, 2005	296	7,532	50,054
Dec 31, 2006	304	7,579	50,667
Dec 31, 2007	311	7,647	51,339
Dec 31, 2008	319	7,738	52,077
Dec 31, 2009	319	7,825	52,862
Dec 31, 2010	318	7,884	53,682
Dec 31, 2011	319	7,959	54,518
Dec 31, 2012	321	8,044	55,356
Dec 31, 2013	324	8,137	56,215
Dec 31, 2014	327	8,237	57,075
Dec 31, 2015	331	8,332	57,947
Dec 31, 2016	335	8,423	58,830
Dec 31, 2017	343	8,502	59,715
Dec 31, 2018	353	8,565	60,595
Dec 31, 2019	361	8,626	61,469
Dec 31, 2020	366	8,689	62,355
Dec 31, 2021	372	8,756	62,900
Dec 31, 2022	380	8,834	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

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.

Switzerland

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
1850-2011: Stohr, Christian (2016), Trading Gains: new estimates of Swiss GDP, 1851-2008. Economic History Working Papers, 245/2016. London School of Economics and Political Science, Economic History Department, London, UK

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