Data for 1950
Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 1950
1950, as GGDC’s 2023 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten
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.
Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 1950 covers 143 countries. Qatar is highest, at 48,436.0; Guinea-Bissau is lowest, at 462.0. The middle country reads 2,115.0. Against 1949, 60 values changed (46 up, 14 down), 83 countries joined.
Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison) · Data for 1950
HighestQatar
48,436.0
LowestGuinea-Bissau
462.0Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the better end.
01Position · derived
The table
Every country and every column of Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 1950, as published. GGDC ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.
Showing 25 of 143 countries · select a heading to sort
| derived | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | QatarQATWestern Asia | 48,436.0 |
| 2 |  KuwaitKWTWestern Asia | 46,031.0 |
| 3 |  United Arab EmiratesAREWestern Asia | 25,182.0 |
| 4 |  United StatesUSANorthern America | 15,240.0 |
| 5 |  New ZealandNZLAustralia and New Zealand | 13,479.0 |
| 6 |  LuxembourgLUXWestern Europe | 13,378.0 |
| 7 |  AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand | 11,815.0 |
| 8 |  CanadaCANNorthern America | 11,622.0 |
| 9 |  SwitzerlandCHEWestern Europe | 11,541.0 |
| 10 |  DenmarkDNKNorthern Europe | 11,067.0 |
| 11 |  United KingdomGBRNorthern Europe | 11,061.0 |
| 12 |  SwedenSWENorthern Europe | 10,742.0 |
| 13 |  NetherlandsNLDWestern Europe | 9,558.0 |
| 14 |  BelgiumBELWestern Europe | 8,706.0 |
| 15 |  NorwayNORNorthern Europe | 8,655.0 |
| 16 |  IcelandISLNorthern Europe | 8,498.0 |
| 17 |  VenezuelaVENSouth America | 8,462.0 |
| 18 |  FranceFRAWestern Europe | 8,266.0 |
| 19 |  ArgentinaARGSouth America | 7,949.0 |
| 20 |  UruguayURYSouth America | 7,015.0 |
| 21 |  FinlandFINNorthern Europe | 6,779.0 |
| 22 |  GermanyDEUWestern Europe | 6,186.0 |
| 23 |  AustriaAUTWestern Europe | 5,907.0 |
| 24 |  ChileCHLSouth America | 5,880.0 |
| 25 |  Trinidad and TobagoTTOCaribbean | 5,856.0 |
| 26 |  ItalyITASouthern Europe | 5,582.0 |
| 27 |  IrelandIRLNorthern Europe | 5,504.0 |
| 28 |  IsraelISRWestern Asia | 4,490.0 |
| 29 |  Hong KongHKGEastern Asia | 4,082.0 |
| 30 |  South AfricaZAFSouthern Africa | 4,041.0 |
| 31 |  NamibiaNAMSouthern Africa | 4,009.0 |
| 32 |  HungaryHUNEastern Europe | 3,953.0 |
| 33 |  MauritiusMUSEastern Africa | 3,942.0 |
| 34 |  PolandPOLEastern Europe | 3,900.0 |
| 35 |  LebanonLBNWestern Asia | 3,872.0 |
| 36 |  SyriaSYRWestern Asia | 3,838.0 |
| 37 |  PeruPERSouth America | 3,679.0 |
| 38 |  SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia | 3,572.0 |
| 39 |  Saudi ArabiaSAUWestern Asia | 3,556.0 |
| 40 |  MexicoMEXCentral America | 3,510.0 |
| 41 |  SpainESPSouthern Europe | 3,459.4 |
| 42 |  DjiboutiDJIEastern Africa | 3,459.0 |
| 43 |  ColombiaCOLSouth America | 3,432.0 |
| 44 |  Puerto RicoPRICaribbean | 3,416.0 |
| 45 |  BarbadosBRBCaribbean | 3,390.0 |
| 46 |  BahrainBHRWestern Asia | 3,354.0 |
| 47 |  PortugalPRTSouthern Europe | 3,325.0 |
| 48 |  GuatemalaGTMCentral America | 3,323.0 |
| 49 |  RussiaRUSEastern Europe | 3,310.8 |
| 50 |  LiberiaLBRWestern Africa | 3,151.0 |
| 51 |  Costa RicaCRICentral America | 3,129.0 |
| 52 |  JapanJPNEastern Asia | 3,062.0 |
| 53 |  GreeceGRCSouthern Europe | 3,052.0 |
| 54 |  BoliviaBOLSouth America | 3,011.0 |
| 55 |  EcuadorECUSouth America | 2,970.0 |
| 56 |  GabonGABMiddle Africa | 2,958.0 |
| 57 |  CyprusCYPWestern Asia | 2,885.0 |
| 58 |  IranIRNSouthern Asia | 2,742.0 |
| 59 |  JordanJORWestern Asia | 2,651.0 |
| 60 |  CubaCUBCaribbean | 2,638.0 |
| =61 |  BulgariaBGREastern Europe | 2,632.0 |
| =61 |  SeychellesSYCEastern Africa | 2,632.0 |
| 63 |  PanamaPANCentral America | 2,577.0 |
| 64 |  NicaraguaNICCentral America | 2,565.0 |
| 65 |  MalaysiaMYSSouth-eastern Asia | 2,485.0 |
| 66 |  ParaguayPRYSouth America | 2,391.0 |
| 67 |  El SalvadorSLVCentral America | 2,375.0 |
| 68 |  MoroccoMARNorthern Africa | 2,319.0 |
| 69 |  BrazilBRASouth America | 2,236.0 |
| 70 |  AlgeriaDZANorthern Africa | 2,176.0 |
| 71 |  IraqIRQWestern Asia | 2,174.0 |
| 72 |  JamaicaJAMCaribbean | 2,115.0 |
| 73 |  TürkiyeTURWestern Asia | 2,079.0 |
| 74 |  HondurasHNDCentral America | 2,018.0 |
| 75 |  SenegalSENWestern Africa | 2,007.0 |
| 76 |  Sri LankaLKASouthern Asia | 1,997.0 |
| 77 |  RomaniaROUEastern Europe | 1,884.0 |
| 78 |  MozambiqueMOZEastern Africa | 1,806.0 |
| 79 |  HaitiHTICaribbean | 1,790.0 |
| 80 |  GhanaGHAWestern Africa | 1,788.0 |
| 81 |  TunisiaTUNNorthern Africa | 1,777.0 |
| 82 |  PhilippinesPHLSouth-eastern Asia | 1,706.0 |
| 83 |  Republic of the CongoCOGMiddle Africa | 1,693.0 |
| 84 |  AngolaAGOMiddle Africa | 1,677.0 |
| 85 |  Côte d’IvoireCIVWestern Africa | 1,659.0 |
| 86 |  Dominican RepublicDOMCaribbean | 1,637.0 |
| 87 |  BeninBENWestern Africa | 1,627.0 |
| 88 |  AlbaniaALBSouthern Europe | 1,596.0 |
| 89 |  MaltaMLTSouthern Europe | 1,573.0 |
| 90 |  PalestinePSEWestern Asia | 1,549.0 |
| 91 |  MadagascarMDGEastern Africa | 1,516.0 |
| 92 |  TaiwanTWNEastern Asia | 1,460.0 |
| 93 |  YemenYEMWestern Asia | 1,452.0 |
| 94 |  EgyptEGYNorthern Africa | 1,451.0 |
| 95 |  SudanSDNNorthern Africa | 1,309.0 |
| 96 |  Central African RepublicCAFMiddle Africa | 1,307.0 |
| 97 |  ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia | 1,302.0 |
| 98 |  IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia | 1,280.0 |
| 99 |  São Tomé and PríncipeSTPMiddle Africa | 1,278.0 |
| 100 |  Saint LuciaLCACaribbean | 1,231.0 |
| 101 |  NigeriaNGAWestern Africa | 1,200.0 |
| 102 |  AfghanistanAFGSouthern Asia | 1,156.0 |
| 103 |  ZimbabweZWEEastern Africa | 1,117.0 |
| 104 |  UgandaUGAEastern Africa | 1,095.0 |
| 105 |  CameroonCMRMiddle Africa | 1,070.0 |
| 106 |  ZambiaZMBEastern Africa | 1,054.0 |
| 107 |  VietnamVNMSouth-eastern Asia | 1,049.0 |
| 108 |  KenyaKENEastern Africa | 1,038.0 |
| 109 |  PakistanPAKSouthern Asia | 1,025.0 |
| 110 |  RwandaRWAEastern Africa | 1,020.0 |
| 111 |  Cabo VerdeCPVWestern Africa | 1,006.0 |
| 112 |  South KoreaKOREastern Asia | 998.1 |
| 113 |  OmanOMNWestern Asia | 993.0 |
| 114 |  IndiaINDSouthern Asia | 987.0 |
| 115 |  NigerNERWestern Africa | 983.0 |
| 116 |  GambiaGMBWestern Africa | 982.0 |
| 117 |  DominicaDMACaribbean | 980.0 |
| 118 |  DR CongoCODMiddle Africa | 909.0 |
| 119 |  Sierra LeoneSLEWestern Africa | 902.0 |
| 120 |  TogoTGOWestern Africa | 870.0 |
| 121 |  BangladeshBGDSouthern Asia | 861.0 |
| 122 |  ChadTCDMiddle Africa | 815.0 |
| 123 |  NepalNPLSouthern Asia | 802.0 |
| 124 |  ChinaCHNEastern Asia | 799.0 |
| 125 |  Equatorial GuineaGNQMiddle Africa | 797.0 |
| 126 |  CambodiaKHMSouth-eastern Asia | 768.0 |
| 127 |  Burkina FasoBFAWestern Africa | 756.0 |
| 128 |  MaliMLIWestern Africa | 728.0 |
| 129 |  LaosLAOSouth-eastern Asia | 697.0 |
| 130 |  MauritaniaMRTWestern Africa | 679.0 |
| 131 |  MongoliaMNGEastern Asia | 677.0 |
| 132 |  TanzaniaTZAEastern Africa | 676.0 |
| =133 |  LesothoLSOSouthern Africa | 631.0 |
| =133 |  MyanmarMMRSouth-eastern Asia | 631.0 |
| 135 |  EthiopiaETHEastern Africa | 622.0 |
| 136 |  LibyaLBYNorthern Africa | 620.0 |
| 137 |  EswatiniSWZSouthern Africa | 604.0 |
| 138 |  BurundiBDIEastern Africa | 595.0 |
| 139 |  ComorosCOMEastern Africa | 534.0 |
| 140 |  GuineaGINWestern Africa | 520.0 |
| 141 |  MalawiMWIEastern Africa | 516.0 |
| 142 |  BotswanaBWASouthern Africa | 489.0 |
| 143 | Guinea-BissauGNBWestern Africa | 462.0 |
02In 1950
At either end
The 5 countries at each end of the headline.
Highest
- 1Qatar48,436.0
- 2Kuwait46,031.0
- 3United Arab Emirates25,182.0
- 4United States15,240.0
- 5New Zealand13,479.0
Lowest
- 143Guinea-Bissau462.0
- 142Botswana489.0
- 141Malawi516.0
- 140Guinea520.0
- 139Comoros534.0
A higher value is the better result. The middle country reads 2,115.0. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.
031949 → 1950
Since 1949
- +83 / −0countries joined / left
- 60values changed, of 60 in both
- 46 · 14rose · fell
- 0unchanged
Rose most
- New Zealand11,988.0 → 13,479.0+1,491.0
- United States14,196.7 → 15,240.0+1,043.3
- Germany5,231.0 → 6,186.0+955.0
- Liberia2,348.7 → 3,151.0+802.3
- Denmark10,351.0 → 11,067.0+716.0
Fell most
- Romania2,430.5 → 1,884.0−546.5
- Iceland8,868.1 → 8,498.0−370.1
- Costa Rica3,384.0 → 3,129.0−255.0
- Paraguay2,625.0 → 2,391.0−234.0
- South Korea1,189.0 → 998.1−190.9
+ Afghanistan+ Angola+ Albania+ United Arab Emirates+ Burundi+ Benin+ Burkina Faso+ Bangladesh+ Bahrain+ Barbados+ Botswana+ Central African Republic+ China+ Côte d’Ivoire+ Cameroon+ DR Congo+ Republic of the Congo+ Comoros+ Cabo Verde+ Cyprus+ Djibouti+ Dominica+ Dominican Republic+ Algeria+ Egypt+ Ethiopia+ Gabon+ Guinea+ Gambia+ Guinea-Bissau+ Equatorial Guinea+ Hong Kong+ Iran+ Iraq+ Israel+ Jamaica+ Jordan+ Kenya+ Cambodia+ Kuwait+ Laos+ Lebanon+ Libya+ Saint Lucia+ Lesotho+ Luxembourg+ Morocco+ Madagascar+ Mali+ Malta+ Myanmar+ Mongolia+ Mozambique+ Mauritania+ Mauritius+ Namibia+ Niger+ Nigeria+ Nepal+ Oman+ Pakistan+ Puerto Rico+ Palestine+ Qatar+ Rwanda+ Saudi Arabia+ Sudan+ Senegal+ Singapore+ Sierra Leone+ São Tomé and Príncipe+ Eswatini+ Seychelles+ Syria+ Chad+ Togo+ Thailand+ Trinidad and Tobago+ Tunisia+ Taiwan+ Tanzania+ Vietnam+ Yemen04Caveats
Read before you use
One year of the 2023 release
Every year in this series comes from GGDC’s 2023 release, recalculated on one method, so a change from one year to the next is not a revision. It can differ from what was first published for 1950.
141 distinct values among 143
Values are stored exactly as published, to 13 decimals. 2 countries share 2,632.0. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 143 countries has every column.
05The files
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Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download historical-gdp-per-capita-1950-nations-inquiry.csv - ↗
The publisher’s original
GGDC’s own file, on its own site.
421302
What this site changed: Reshaped to one row per country, with its ISO code; no value recalculated, rescaled or rounded. In full
Licence: CC BY 4.0 · what it allows, in plain words
Cite this edition
Maddison Project, Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) (1950). Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 1950 [data set], describing 1950. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/historical-gdp-per-capita/1950
06112 held
Other years
‹ The year before
Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 194960 countries
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Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison), 1951143 countries
All of them
Historical GDP per Capita (Maddison): every year112 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country