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GGDC · Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison)

Historical GDP per capita by country

How rich was each country, per person, over the last two centuries?

Qatar placed first of the 166 countries compared in 2022, at 149,171, and Central African Republic last, at 596. In the middle country the figure was 12,890. Among the 27 countries measured in every edition since 1820, the middle one moved from 1,441 to 38,269.

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Part ofEconomy & InnovationDevelopment & Human Capital

Historical GDP per capita · 2022

Context statistic

Highest of 166Qatar

149,171

012022 · position · derived

Who leads

The three countries at the highest end of 166 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.

  1. 1

    Qatar

    Western Asia

    149,171

    1st of 166

    Photo: Haakon S. Krohn derivative work: JamesA · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Norway

    Northern Europe

    88,366

    2nd of 166

    Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Singapore

    South-eastern Asia

    80,320

    3rd of 166

    Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale

Lowest in 2022

  1. 166Central African Republic596
  2. 165Burundi717
  3. 164Liberia811

Positions out of 166. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.

Highest on each continent

02Every measured country

Historical GDP per capita on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a higher value — the better end.

  • 596–3,342
  • 3,404–8,522
  • 8,763–17,235
  • 17,683–34,123
  • 34,496–149,171
  • No reading in 2022
  • Europe

    32,247

    the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members

    Norway88,366

    Moldova6,675

    Highest and lowest reading in Europe.

  • Asia

    13,640

    the middle country, of 46 measured · 52 members

    Qatar149,171

    Afghanistan1,358

    Highest and lowest reading in Asia.

  • Americas

    12,154

    the middle country, of 28 measured · 48 members

    United States58,487

    Haiti1,546

    Highest and lowest reading in Americas.

  • Africa

    2,812

    the middle country, of 51 measured · 55 members

    Seychelles31,055

    Central African Republic596

    Highest and lowest reading in Africa.

  • Oceania

    2 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    Australia52,049

    New Zealand38,250

    Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.

19 sub-regions, highest middle country first
  • Western Europe

    46,648

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members

    Switzerland63,323

    France39,066

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.

  • Northern Europe

    41,424

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members

    Norway88,366

    Latvia27,220

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Eastern Asia

    38,269

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members

    Taiwan53,143

    North Korea1,569

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Southern Europe

    26,135

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members

    Italy36,224

    Bosnia and Herzegovina12,143

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Eastern Europe

    25,818

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    Poland32,468

    Moldova6,675

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Western Asia

    22,522

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Qatar149,171

    Yemen1,959

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.

  • South America

    13,616

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 12 members

    Chile22,741

    Venezuela5,267

    Highest and lowest reading in South America.

  • Central Asia

    12,559

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Kazakhstan26,492

    Kyrgyzstan5,305

    Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.

  • Northern Africa

    11,835

    the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members

    Algeria13,506

    Sudan2,405

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.

  • Caribbean

    10,452

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 24 members

    Puerto Rico35,281

    Haiti1,546

    Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.

  • Central America

    9,219

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members

    Panama23,557

    Nicaragua5,093

    Highest and lowest reading in Central America.

  • Southern Africa

    8,522

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Botswana16,352

    Lesotho2,313

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.

  • South-eastern Asia

    8,371

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 11 members

    Singapore80,320

    Cambodia3,944

    Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • Southern Asia

    5,532

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members

    Iran18,473

    Afghanistan1,358

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.

  • Middle Africa

    3,752

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Equatorial Guinea22,707

    Central African Republic596

    Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Eastern Africa

    2,198

    the middle country, of 15 measured · 19 members

    Seychelles31,055

    Burundi717

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Western Africa

    1,910

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Cabo Verde7,203

    Liberia811

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    Australia52,049

    New Zealand38,250

    Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Northern America

    2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.

    United States58,487

    Canada45,530

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.

03The whole field at once

The spread

166 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 12,890; a quarter are above 29,337, and a quarter below 4,376. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

25,00050,00075,000100,000125,000Africa51 comparedSeychelles: 31,055Equatorial Guinea: 22,707Mauritius: 20,643Botswana: 16,352Gabon: 15,721Algeria: 13,506Egypt: 13,205Libya: 12,755South Africa: 11,416Tunisia: 10,914Eswatini: 8,522Morocco: 8,400Namibia: 7,979Cabo Verde: 7,203Angola: 6,119Nigeria: 5,070Ghana: 4,242Republic of the Congo: 4,188Côte d’Ivoire: 4,012São Tomé and Príncipe: 3,752Mauritania: 3,680Djibouti: 3,623Kenya: 3,404Zambia: 3,342Tanzania: 3,057Cameroon: 2,812Senegal: 2,661Benin: 2,477Sudan: 2,405Lesotho: 2,313Ethiopia: 2,289Rwanda: 2,198Uganda: 2,122Gambia: 2,011Comoros: 1,900Guinea: 1,809Burkina Faso: 1,705Zimbabwe: 1,704Sierra Leone: 1,690Mali: 1,652Guinea-Bissau: 1,625Togo: 1,587Chad: 1,394Madagascar: 1,367Malawi: 1,190Mozambique: 1,088Niger: 1,008DR Congo: 844Liberia: 811Burundi: 717Central African Republic: 596Central African Republic 596 · Seychelles 31,055Americas28 comparedUnited States: 58,487Canada: 45,530Puerto Rico: 35,281Trinidad and Tobago: 25,773Panama: 23,557Chile: 22,741Uruguay: 20,182Argentina: 18,292Dominican Republic: 17,714Mexico: 16,235Costa Rica: 15,497Brazil: 14,640Colombia: 14,469Peru: 12,763Barbados: 11,546Saint Lucia: 10,452Ecuador: 10,124El Salvador: 9,219Dominica: 8,880Paraguay: 8,763Guatemala: 7,969Cuba: 7,649Jamaica: 7,482Bolivia: 6,481Venezuela: 5,267Honduras: 5,187Nicaragua: 5,093Haiti: 1,546Haiti 1,546United States 58,487Asia46 comparedQatar: 149,171Singapore: 80,320United Arab Emirates: 77,204Kuwait: 71,534Saudi Arabia: 53,517Taiwan: 53,143Hong Kong: 48,289Oman: 47,989South Korea: 41,321Bahrain: 38,652Japan: 38,269Israel: 36,649Cyprus: 31,523Türkiye: 27,362Malaysia: 26,629Kazakhstan: 26,492China: 19,238Iran: 18,473Azerbaijan: 17,683Turkmenistan: 17,235Thailand: 16,421Georgia: 14,360Armenia: 13,838Mongolia: 13,443Iraq: 13,072Indonesia: 12,802Uzbekistan: 12,559Sri Lanka: 10,705Lebanon: 10,341Jordan: 9,151Philippines: 8,371Vietnam: 8,050India: 7,766Laos: 7,168Pakistan: 5,532Tajikistan: 5,508Kyrgyzstan: 5,305Myanmar: 5,177Bangladesh: 4,926Palestine: 4,775Cambodia: 3,944Nepal: 3,014Syria: 2,495Yemen: 1,959North Korea: 1,569Afghanistan: 1,358Afghanistan 1,358Qatar 149,171Europe39 comparedNorway: 88,366Switzerland: 63,323Ireland: 60,257Luxembourg: 55,485Denmark: 50,690Netherlands: 49,670Sweden: 47,126Germany: 46,648Austria: 43,793Iceland: 42,146Belgium: 41,872Finland: 40,701France: 39,066United Kingdom: 38,407Italy: 36,224Malta: 34,496Spain: 34,123Slovenia: 32,674Poland: 32,468Czechia: 32,247Lithuania: 30,863Estonia: 30,067Hungary: 29,452Portugal: 28,992Slovakia: 27,519Latvia: 27,220Croatia: 26,987Romania: 26,198Russia: 25,437Greece: 25,284Montenegro: 20,942Bulgaria: 20,592Belarus: 18,700Serbia: 17,098North Macedonia: 14,051Albania: 12,978Bosnia and Herzegovina: 12,143Ukraine: 7,749Moldova: 6,675Moldova 6,675Norway 88,366Oceania2 comparedAustralia: 52,049New Zealand: 38,250New Zealand 38,250 · Australia 52,049middle country 12,890

04All 166 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. For today's incomes, use the World Bank's GDP per capita, which this site keeps current; this table is for history, and its dollars are on a different price base. Figures before the twentieth century are scholarly estimates built from wages, prices and output records, and they can change a good deal between releases.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 166 countries

  1. 1 of 166QatarWestern Asia149,171
  2. 2 of 166NorwayNorthern Europe88,366
  3. 3 of 166SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia80,320
  4. 4 of 166United Arab EmiratesWestern Asia77,204
  5. 5 of 166KuwaitWestern Asia71,534
  6. 6 of 166SwitzerlandWestern Europe63,323
  7. 7 of 166IrelandNorthern Europe60,257
  8. 8 of 166United StatesNorthern America58,487
  9. 9 of 166LuxembourgWestern Europe55,485
  10. 10 of 166Saudi ArabiaWestern Asia53,517
  11. 11 of 166TaiwanEastern Asia53,143
  12. 12 of 166AustraliaAustralia and New Zealand52,049
  13. 13 of 166DenmarkNorthern Europe50,690
  14. 14 of 166NetherlandsWestern Europe49,670
  15. 15 of 166Hong KongEastern Asia48,289
  16. 16 of 166OmanWestern Asia47,989
  17. 17 of 166SwedenNorthern Europe47,126
  18. 18 of 166GermanyWestern Europe46,648
  19. 19 of 166CanadaNorthern America45,530
  20. 20 of 166AustriaWestern Europe43,793
  21. 21 of 166IcelandNorthern Europe42,146
  22. 22 of 166BelgiumWestern Europe41,872
  23. 23 of 166South KoreaEastern Asia41,321
  24. 24 of 166FinlandNorthern Europe40,701
  25. 25 of 166FranceWestern Europe39,066

Values for 2022. The change column compares 2022 with 2021 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

051820–2022 · 112 reference years

Over time

Each point is one year of the database's 2023 release, which recalculates the whole history at once. Before 1950 fewer countries are covered, and a year appears as a table only when at least fifty countries have an estimate — so a country's early line has gaps where the database has no figure for enough countries.

5,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,000182019251939195319671981199520092022EuropeAsiaAmericasAfrica
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 27 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
202216612,8904,376 – 29,33738,269
202116612,4064,314 – 27,90637,678
202016611,6324,257 – 26,37435,854
201916612,5154,328 – 27,93838,333
201816612,0444,153 – 27,53638,404
201716612,0133,930 – 26,47738,037
201616612,1283,725 – 25,16937,344
201516611,9293,654 – 24,60436,987
201416611,8743,729 – 24,08236,440
201316611,5573,751 – 23,18135,661
201216611,1014,071 – 23,71135,244
201116611,0293,935 – 22,96834,979
201016610,7213,809 – 23,21034,766
200916610,2623,698 – 22,43434,055
200816610,2603,593 – 24,24035,943
20071669,9003,428 – 22,56436,311
20061669,2462,990 – 21,48935,714
20051668,3382,947 – 20,96434,872
20041667,9082,695 – 19,66634,472
20031667,4052,464 – 18,46633,918
20021667,1492,346 – 17,70133,271
20011666,9162,255 – 17,13433,246
20001666,6912,213 – 15,00432,690
19991666,4212,188 – 14,77930,987
19981666,2392,095 – 15,07430,077
19971666,0422,113 – 14,85129,260
19961665,6992,106 – 13,67328,472
19951665,5702,006 – 13,03527,861
19941665,4211,953 – 12,61527,278
19931665,2831,957 – 12,28026,349
19921655,5301,971 – 12,00225,790
19911655,6161,983 – 12,01225,792
19901665,7692,084 – 12,81126,003
19891655,9152,181 – 12,75826,078
19881656,0892,227 – 12,72025,112
19871656,1942,168 – 12,68324,409
19861656,2042,142 – 12,40423,498
19851656,2682,128 – 11,84822,579
19841646,1722,048 – 11,97321,869
19831646,2452,134 – 11,89021,366
19821646,4362,097 – 11,56521,123
19811646,2641,957 – 12,08020,935
19801646,3592,002 – 12,23320,640
19791505,4141,804 – 11,86020,275
19781505,3481,789 – 11,44519,230
19771505,1601,759 – 10,83419,110
19761504,9071,725 – 10,81218,600
19751504,5991,711 – 9,94518,237
19741504,5371,751 – 9,88918,109
19731645,2361,883 – 9,98317,908
19721504,4211,683 – 9,35017,110
19711504,2291,654 – 9,07616,004
19701503,9671,583 – 8,59215,492
19691493,7201,551 – 8,06914,655
19681493,5241,510 – 7,69614,513
19671493,4891,470 – 7,38213,476
19661493,3511,510 – 7,18412,930
19651493,3511,505 – 6,74112,328
19641493,1581,486 – 6,59112,062
19631492,9581,436 – 6,05911,576
19621492,8471,400 – 5,92311,078
19611492,8681,321 – 5,46110,882
19601492,8131,326 – 5,08810,391
19591492,6671,288 – 4,9579,645
19581492,5761,270 – 4,8449,416
19571492,5731,253 – 4,7219,111
19561492,4471,256 – 4,5658,603
19551492,3641,195 – 4,3138,348
19541492,2911,175 – 4,1248,273
19531492,2761,157 – 4,0627,818
19521492,1931,121 – 3,9377,450
19511432,2511,072 – 3,7857,548
19501432,1151,044 – 3,7597,015
1949603,3192,348 – 6,9106,604
1948583,2652,315 – 6,8286,307
1947553,2312,289 – 6,5485,925
1946543,1212,351 – 6,5285,918
1945542,9881,812 – 5,7445,499
1944533,0702,087 – 5,8745,322
1943562,9012,064 – 6,1245,893
1942582,8882,069 – 6,0225,303
1941572,9972,036 – 5,9165,295
1940583,0342,055 – 6,0426,311
1939612,9762,042 – 5,4326,529
1938672,6331,703 – 5,1725,721
1937642,8371,888 – 5,0445,485
1936652,5901,741 – 4,7905,227
1935642,6671,773 – 4,7444,930
1934642,4731,719 – 4,6194,763
1933662,4241,577 – 4,4724,516
1932632,2681,691 – 4,6014,686
1931652,3971,669 – 4,7375,241
1930642,5481,720 – 5,0865,781
1929672,5661,577 – 5,0095,679
1928622,5301,683 – 5,2255,609
1927622,4571,665 – 4,8805,080
1926632,4231,636 – 4,6394,750
1925612,4551,708 – 4,7334,903
1924602,4131,690 – 4,7814,787
1923572,3481,659 – 4,5144,514
1922552,4051,721 – 4,5784,570
1921572,2031,561 – 4,2224,222
1920572,2841,594 – 4,2484,248
1913721,8581,283 – 4,1334,836
1912502,1131,316 – 5,4844,806
1911541,9341,261 – 4,4954,481
1910542,2781,354 – 4,4964,485
1908502,3201,233 – 4,7294,020
1907502,2951,204 – 4,6924,063
1906512,2761,154 – 4,2613,822
1870671,356962 – 2,1612,340
182054967836 – 1,4351,441

062021 → 2022

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Improved most

before → after
  1. Qatar143,469 → 149,171 · 1st → 1st+5,702
  2. Kuwait66,418 → 71,534 · 5th → 5th+5,115
  3. United Arab Emirates72,460 → 77,204 · 4th → 4th+4,744
  4. Saudi Arabia49,841 → 53,517 · 13th → 10th+3,676
  5. Ireland57,278 → 60,257 · 8th → 7th+2,979

Declined most

before → after
  1. Ukraine10,134 → 7,749 · 94th → 107th−2,385
  2. Libya14,797 → 12,755 · 74th → 86th−2,042
  3. Hong Kong50,006 → 48,289 · 12th → 15th−1,717
  4. Sri Lanka11,752 → 10,705 · 88th → 92nd−1,046
  5. Moldova7,557 → 6,675 · 106th → 112th−883

166 countries were measured in both 2021 and 2022.

07Across every edition

Historical GDP per capita in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The measure

About Historical GDP per capita

Historical GDP per capita follows each country's output per person back to 1820, in 2011 international dollars, from the Maddison Project Database. It joins economic historians' reconstructions of old national accounts onto modern statistics, so that incomes two centuries apart can be set on one scale.

What the number is: GDP per capita (2011 international $).

09Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Development & Human Capital, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

Economy & InnovationDevelopment & Human CapitalWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where Historical GDP per capita is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where Historical GDP per capita is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 375 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

10Keep reading

Explore further

11Questions

Historical GDP per capita: questions and answers

Which country has the highest Historical GDP per capita?

Qatar, at 149,171, among the 166 countries compared in 2022.

Which country has the lowest Historical GDP per capita?

Central African Republic, at 596, among the 166 countries compared in 2022.

How many countries does the Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison) cover?

166 in 2022. The number measured varies from 50 to 166 between editions.

What is the world average Historical GDP per capita?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 166 compared in 2022, the figure was 12,890.

Is this Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC)’s own ranking?

No. Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.

How often is the Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison) published?

This site holds 112 reference years, 1820–2022, all recalculated in Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC)’s 2023 report on one method — not 112 separate publications.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC), under CC BY 4.0. From the Maddison Project Database 2023, published by the Groningen Growth and Development Centre. Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia are left out because their successor states are included for every year. The database names the historians behind each country's figures on the Sources sheet of its workbook. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

12Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison) — Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC)

From the Maddison Project Database 2023, published by the Groningen Growth and Development Centre. Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia are left out because their successor states are included for every year. The database names the historians behind each country's figures on the Sources sheet of its workbook.

Newest edition

Report year 2022Data year 2022

Cite the source as: Bolt, Jutta and Jan Luiten van Zanden (2024). Maddison style estimates of the evolution of the world economy: A new 2023 update. Journal of Economic Surveys, 1–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12618 (Maddison Project Database, version 2023).

Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.

The full 2022 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
  • Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Photographs

The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Historical GDP per capita by country: Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), data from Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/historical-gdp-per-capita

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