Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

Countries being compared

Add a country

Population, long-run history by country

Annual, Persons, thousands

Source: Maddison Project Database 2023

Population, long-run history: latest observations by country
Date	Iceland	United States	South Africa
Dec 31, 1999	277	279,040	46,257
Dec 31, 2000	281	282,162	46,958
Dec 31, 2001	285	284,969	47,820
Dec 31, 2002	288	287,625	48,480
Dec 31, 2003	289	290,108	48,951
Dec 31, 2004	293	292,805	49,478
Dec 31, 2005	296	295,517	50,054
Dec 31, 2006	304	298,380	50,667
Dec 31, 2007	311	301,231	51,339
Dec 31, 2008	319	304,094	52,077
Dec 31, 2009	319	306,772	52,862
Dec 31, 2010	318	309,327	53,682
Dec 31, 2011	319	311,583	54,518
Dec 31, 2012	321	313,878	55,356
Dec 31, 2013	324	316,060	56,215
Dec 31, 2014	327	318,386	57,075
Dec 31, 2015	331	320,739	57,947
Dec 31, 2016	335	323,072	58,830
Dec 31, 2017	343	325,122	59,715
Dec 31, 2018	353	326,838	60,595
Dec 31, 2019	361	328,330	61,469
Dec 31, 2020	366	331,512	62,355
Dec 31, 2021	372	332,032	62,900
Dec 31, 2022	380	333,288	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.

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).

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