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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 São Tomé & Príncipe, 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 São Tomé & PríncipeUnited StatesGermany
138279,04081,439
141282,16281,474
144284,96981,534
147287,62581,595
151290,10881,566
154292,80581,473
158295,51781,354
161298,38081,190
165301,23181,009
168304,09480,781
172306,77280,500
176309,32780,301
180311,58380,292
183313,87880,443
187316,06080,663
190318,38681,000
194320,73981,704
198323,07282,366
201325,12282,674
204326,83882,923
208328,33083,110
212331,51283,178
216332,03283,213
220333,28883,811

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 São Tomé & Príncipe; the database as a whole is cited above.