Global GDP per person barely budged for centuries — then it exploded
For most of history, the typical person produced roughly the same amount of economic output — about $1,000 a year in today’s terms. Incomes started to grow around 1800 and have accelerated dramatically in the past century, even as population skyrocketed.
Line chart shows global average GDP per capita from year 1 to 2020. The line remains close to $1,000 for nearly two millennia, then begins rising around 1800 and climbs steeply after 1950, surpassing $9,000 by 2020.
