Two Thousand Years of Economic Statistics: World Population, GDP and PPP

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Avakov

01/2010 · Algora Publishing

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This statistical volume contains data usually unavailable in other statistical publications. It gives statistics for two groups of countries in their 2007 borders. First, since year 1950 (for 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2007), it provides statistical data for all countries of the world (232 countries). Second, since year 1 AD (for 0001, 1000, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1820, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1913, 1920, 1929, and 1938), it provides data for a smaller group of countries (133 countries).
This book is based on the groundbreaking works of Angus Maddison but it differs from his books in that it gives data up to the most recent year available and calculates GDP (gross and per capita) in the prices of that most recent year.
For the recent years, the World Bank, CIA, and Encyclopedia Britannica were principal sources. But, despite the author's great debt to these sources, the preponderance of data in the book is not direct citations from them but rather the result of calculations. Among other computational techniques he uses a new logarithmic interpolation which takes care of cross-country statistical distortions when calculating in the prices of the most recent year. For every line of data (for every country, each year), he provides a note on the technique used in obtaining his estimate (i. e., proxy, exponential interpolation, direct estimate with source citation, etc.).
Dr. Avakov's annual title Quality of Life, Balance of Powers, and Nuclear Weapons gives a current snapshot of world statistics. This new work, Two Thousand Years of Economic Statistics, gives the population and current price GDP data in a historical perspective.