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	South Africa	Belgium
Dec 31, 1999	46,257	10,227
Dec 31, 2000	46,958	10,252
Dec 31, 2001	47,820	10,288
Dec 31, 2002	48,480	10,334
Dec 31, 2003	48,951	10,377
Dec 31, 2004	49,478	10,422
Dec 31, 2005	50,054	10,480
Dec 31, 2006	50,667	10,549
Dec 31, 2007	51,339	10,627
Dec 31, 2008	52,077	10,711
Dec 31, 2009	52,862	10,797
Dec 31, 2010	53,682	10,897
Dec 31, 2011	54,518	11,039
Dec 31, 2012	55,356	11,108
Dec 31, 2013	56,215	11,160
Dec 31, 2014	57,075	11,210
Dec 31, 2015	57,947	11,275
Dec 31, 2016	58,830	11,332
Dec 31, 2017	59,715	11,376
Dec 31, 2018	60,595	11,429
Dec 31, 2019	61,469	11,491
Dec 31, 2020	62,355	11,546
Dec 31, 2021	62,900	11,594
Dec 31, 2022	63,382	11,695

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

South Africa

1700–1900 (Cape Colony): Fourie, J. and Van Zanden, J.L. (2013). GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: the Nationals Accounts of a Slave-Based Society, South African Journal of Economics, vol. 81 (4): 467 - 490

Belgium

1: Scheidel, W. and Friesen, S. J., ‘The size of the economy and the distribution of income in the Roman Empire’, Journal of Roman Studies, 99 (2009), pp. 61–91
1500- 1846: Buyst, E. (2011), “Towards Estimates of Long Term Growth in the Southern Low Countries, ca.1500-1846”, Results presented at the Conference on Quantifying Long Run Economic Development, Venice, 22-24 March, 2011
1846-1913: J. Gadisseur, "Contribution à l'étude de la production agricole en Belgique de 1846 à 1913", Revue belge d'histoire contemporaine, vol. IV, 1-2, 1973,
1913-1950: C. Carbonnelle, "Recherches sur levolution de la production en Belgique de 1900à 1957", Cahiers Economiques de Bruxelles, no. 3, April 1959, p. 358.