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	China
Dec 31, 1999	46,257	1,248,899
Dec 31, 2000	46,958	1,258,401
Dec 31, 2001	47,820	1,267,178
Dec 31, 2002	48,480	1,275,379
Dec 31, 2003	48,951	1,283,064
Dec 31, 2004	49,478	1,290,620
Dec 31, 2005	50,054	1,298,245
Dec 31, 2006	50,667	1,305,116
Dec 31, 2007	51,339	1,311,877
Dec 31, 2008	52,077	1,318,559
Dec 31, 2009	52,862	1,324,993
Dec 31, 2010	53,682	1,331,357
Dec 31, 2011	54,518	1,339,549
Dec 31, 2012	55,356	1,349,537
Dec 31, 2013	56,215	1,357,520
Dec 31, 2014	57,075	1,366,654
Dec 31, 2015	57,947	1,373,406
Dec 31, 2016	58,830	1,382,401
Dec 31, 2017	59,715	1,390,136
Dec 31, 2018	60,595	1,395,398
Dec 31, 2019	61,469	1,400,035
Dec 31, 2020	62,355	1,402,060
Dec 31, 2021	62,900	1,402,537
Dec 31, 2022	63,382	1,401,693

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

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.