Showtime: Trends in GDP and Population

Growth in systems and society.

Economic growth — as measured by GDP — and population trends tell a rich human story.

Together, these measurements allow us to calculate GDP per capita: a measurement commonly used as a proxy for a nation's average quality of life (note: measuring averages can be problematic in many ways!).

Long-run trends in US GDP and population are visualized below.

US Population and GDP Growth