2,000 Yrs. in One Chart

23% of all Goods, Services Made Since 1 A.D. Were Produced This Decade!

by M. Perry

The chart above is from The Economist and shows a "population-weighted history of the past two millennia" based on "economic output" and "years lived."  According to The Economist:

"By this reckoning, over 28% of all the history made since the birth of Christ was made in the 20th century. Measured in years lived, the present century, which is only ten years old, is already "longer" than the whole of the 17th century. This century has made an even bigger contribution to economic history. Over 23% of all the goods and services made since 1AD were produced from 2001 to 2010."

It also looks like more economic output was produced in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.