China and Europe GDP Per Capita Estimates from 1700 Onward

Comprising historical GDP per capita estimates for the leading regions of China and Europe, used to reassess the timing of the Great Divergence. The analysis indicates Chinese and European levels were comparable until the 18th century, with a significant decline in China beginning around 1700. The data is authored by Stephen Broadberry and was last updated in February 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze the timing of the Great Divergence by comparing GDP per capita trends between leading Chinese and European regions.
• Test historical economic hypotheses, such as Peter Solar's chronology involving a 'Great Crossing', using the provided GDP per capita estimates.
• Model the economic decline of China's leading region during the Qing dynasty based on the GDP per capita data.

Strengths

• Data is authored by a recognized economic historian, Stephen Broadberry.
• The dataset was updated in February 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Limitations

• The specific data structure, including column names, row count, and file formats, is unknown.
• The raw description focuses on a scholarly debate, suggesting the dataset may be highly specialized and lack broader contextual variables.

Provenance

Source

ICPSR Harvested Dataverse

Time Range

Covers periods up to and including the 18th century, with focus on the 1700s.

Freshness

Last updated on 2026-02-23.

Geography

Leading regions of China and Europe.