Population, long-run history: compare countries

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

Countries being compared

Four countries are being compared, the most the chart can show clearly. Remove one to add another.

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	Germany	Ghana	Barbados
Dec 31, 1999	279,040	81,439	19,327	273
Dec 31, 2000	282,162	81,474	19,792	274
Dec 31, 2001	284,969	81,534	20,280	275
Dec 31, 2002	287,625	81,595	20,806	276
Dec 31, 2003	290,108	81,566	21,350	278
Dec 31, 2004	292,805	81,473	21,900	279
Dec 31, 2005	295,517	81,354	22,469	280
Dec 31, 2006	298,380	81,190	23,058	281
Dec 31, 2007	301,231	81,009	23,661	282
Dec 31, 2008	304,094	80,781	24,270	283
Dec 31, 2009	306,772	80,500	24,899	285
Dec 31, 2010	309,327	80,301	25,559	286
Dec 31, 2011	311,583	80,292	26,244	287
Dec 31, 2012	313,878	80,443	26,945	288
Dec 31, 2013	316,060	80,663	27,664	289
Dec 31, 2014	318,386	81,000	28,405	290
Dec 31, 2015	320,739	81,704	29,146	291
Dec 31, 2016	323,072	82,366	29,879	291
Dec 31, 2017	325,122	82,674	30,617	292
Dec 31, 2018	326,838	82,923	31,362	293
Dec 31, 2019	328,330	83,110	32,111	294
Dec 31, 2020	331,512	83,178	32,864	294
Dec 31, 2021	332,032	83,213	33,622	295
Dec 31, 2022	333,288	83,811	34,280	295

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.

Ghana

1885-1950: Broadberry, S., & Gardner, L. (2022). Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1885–2008: Evidence from eight countries. Explorations in Economic History, 83, 101424.

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