📜 A long story
Angola, 1800 → today
Angola grew from 1.57 million in 1800 to 36.8 million; a newborn can expect 37.6 more years of life than in 1940, and output per person is 3.6× its 1950 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 1.57 million people lived in Angola.
1900
3.1 million people.
2× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1886.
1950
4.55 million people.
1.5× the 1900 level
2023
36.8 million people, the latest year in this series.
8.1× the 1950 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1979.
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1999.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 2019.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1940
In 1940, a newborn in Angola could expect to live 27 years, on average.
2023
64.6 years, the latest year in this series.
+38 years since 1940
Passed 40 years in 1971.
Passed 50 years in 2003.
Passed 60 years in 2014.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover. Dashed stretches are years without data.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1950
In 1950, Angola produced about Int$1,680 per person, in 2011 prices.
2022
Int$6,120, the latest year in this series.
3.6× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1950 level in 2005.
Reached 5 times the 1950 level in 2013.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 50% between 1974 and 1982 (Int$2,730 → Int$1,370).
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1950
In 1950, fossil fuels and industry in Angola emitted about 0.041 t of CO₂ per person.
2024
0.6 t, the latest year in this series.
14× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1950 level in 1955.
Reached 5 times the 1950 level in 1962.
Reached 10 times the 1950 level in 1969.
Reached 20 times the 1950 level in 1994.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 52% between 2012 and 2020 (1 t → 0.5 t).
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.