Population, Historical (Maddison): Belgium

## What this measures

The mid-year population of Belgium from the Maddison Project Database 2023, with estimates back to the year 1.

## Why it matters

Population is half of any economy's size, and the long record shows when each region broke out of slow pre-industrial growth.

## How to read it

People, mid-year. Each point is a calendar year, dated December 31. Early years are benchmark estimates with gaps between them. Borders are today's.

## What it does not say

Pre-modern populations are estimates with wide uncertainty. For recent decades the UN World Population Prospects series (pop.wpp.population.*) is the better source.

## Source

Maddison Project Database 2023 (Groningen Growth and Development Centre, University of Groningen). Cite 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. DOI: 10.1111/joes.12618. Licence: Maddison Project Database, version 2023 by Jutta Bolt and Jan Luiten van Zanden, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://www.rug.nl/ggdc/historicaldevelopment/maddison/releases/maddison-project-database-2023 The database asks that all original papers be cited when its data is shown in graphical form. The original sources for Belgium, as the database lists them: Sources added since MPD 2013: - 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 - GDP pc: 2008 - 2022: Total Economy Database the Conference Board for all countries included in TED. Otherwise UN national accounts statistics Sources used by Angus Maddison (original dataset, last updated 2010): - 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. This is a one-off release; Palanor will load the next version when the Maddison Project publishes one.