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Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

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

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Population, long-run history by country

Population, long-run history

Annual, Persons, thousands

Source: Maddison Project Database 2023
Population, long-run history: latest observations by country
Date Sri LankaUnited StatesGermany
19,354279,04081,439
19,610282,16281,474
19,838284,96981,534
20,060287,62581,595
20,297290,10881,566
20,529292,80581,473
20,703295,51781,354
20,917298,38081,190
21,120301,23181,009
21,315304,09480,781
21,503306,77280,500
21,713309,32780,301
21,918311,58380,292
22,120313,87880,443
22,320316,06080,663
22,517318,38681,000
22,711320,73981,704
22,899323,07282,366
23,080325,12282,674
23,254326,83882,923
23,420328,33083,110
23,579331,51283,178
23,732332,03283,213
23,796333,28883,811

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

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.

No separate list is published for Sri Lanka; the database as a whole is cited above.