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	United States	China	Malta
Dec 31, 1999	279,040	1,248,899	387
Dec 31, 2000	282,162	1,258,401	390
Dec 31, 2001	284,969	1,267,178	393
Dec 31, 2002	287,625	1,275,379	396
Dec 31, 2003	290,108	1,283,064	398
Dec 31, 2004	292,805	1,290,620	401
Dec 31, 2005	295,517	1,298,245	404
Dec 31, 2006	298,380	1,305,116	405
Dec 31, 2007	301,231	1,311,877	406
Dec 31, 2008	304,094	1,318,559	409
Dec 31, 2009	306,772	1,324,993	412
Dec 31, 2010	309,327	1,331,357	414
Dec 31, 2011	311,583	1,339,549	416
Dec 31, 2012	313,878	1,349,537	420
Dec 31, 2013	316,060	1,357,520	426
Dec 31, 2014	318,386	1,366,654	435
Dec 31, 2015	320,739	1,373,406	445
Dec 31, 2016	323,072	1,382,401	455
Dec 31, 2017	325,122	1,390,136	468
Dec 31, 2018	326,838	1,395,398	485
Dec 31, 2019	328,330	1,400,035	504
Dec 31, 2020	331,512	1,402,060	516
Dec 31, 2021	332,032	1,402,537	518
Dec 31, 2022	333,288	1,401,693	530

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).

China

1000-1661: Broadberry, S.N., Guan, Hanhui and David Daokui Li (2018), “China, Europe and the Great Divergence: a Study in Historical National Accounting, 980-1850”, Journal of Economic History, 78, 4, 955-1000
1661–1933: Broadberry, S.N., Guan, Hanhui and David Daokui Li (2018), “China, Europe and the Great Divergence: a Study in Historical National Accounting, 980-1850”, Journal of Economic History, 78, 4, 955-1000
1661–1933: Xu, Y. Z. Shi, B. van Leeuwen, Y Ni, Z Zhang, and Y Ma, (2016) 'Chinese National Income, ca. 1661-1933', Australian Economic History Review 57(3), 368–393
1952–2008: Wu, Harry X. (2014), “China’s growth and productivity performance debate revisited – Accounting for China’s sources of growth with a new data set” The Conference Board Economics Program Working Paper Series EWP#14-01.

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