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	Tanzania	North Korea
Dec 31, 1999	279,040	81,439	32,912	22,594
Dec 31, 2000	282,162	81,474	33,953	22,785
Dec 31, 2001	284,969	81,534	34,974	22,977
Dec 31, 2002	287,625	81,595	36,021	23,165
Dec 31, 2003	290,108	81,566	37,100	23,330
Dec 31, 2004	292,805	81,473	38,167	23,477
Dec 31, 2005	295,517	81,354	39,262	23,621
Dec 31, 2006	298,380	81,190	40,387	23,764
Dec 31, 2007	301,231	81,009	41,557	23,908
Dec 31, 2008	304,094	80,781	42,741	24,051
Dec 31, 2009	306,772	80,500	43,889	24,191
Dec 31, 2010	309,327	80,301	45,132	24,326
Dec 31, 2011	311,583	80,292	46,531	24,457
Dec 31, 2012	313,878	80,443	47,965	24,589
Dec 31, 2013	316,060	80,663	49,437	24,720
Dec 31, 2014	318,386	81,000	50,965	24,852
Dec 31, 2015	320,739	81,704	52,604	24,983
Dec 31, 2016	323,072	82,366	54,336	25,115
Dec 31, 2017	325,122	82,674	56,062	25,248
Dec 31, 2018	326,838	82,923	57,765	25,381
Dec 31, 2019	328,330	83,110	59,465	25,497
Dec 31, 2020	331,512	83,178	61,191	25,608
Dec 31, 2021	332,032	83,213	62,944	25,711
Dec 31, 2022	333,288	83,811	64,835	25,808

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.

North Korea

1911-1940: Cha, M.S., Kim, N.N., Park, K.-J., Park, Y. (Eds.) (2020), Historical Statistics of Korea. Studies in Economic History, New York: Springer Publishing.
1990-2011: Cha, M.S., Kim, N.N., Park, K.-J., Park, Y. (Eds.) (2020), Historical Statistics of Korea. Studies in Economic History, New York: Springer Publishing.

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