Comparison of GDP per capita growth in Brazil and the U.S. 1500-1998

GDP per capita in the U.S. and Brazil grew at very different rates between the years 1500 and 1998. Across the total period, GDP per capita in the U.S. grew by 0.85 percent per year, whereas the figure was 0.53 percent in Brazil; these figures may seem similar at first glance, but an annual difference of 0.32 percent results in a significant difference over five centuries. In real terms, GDP per capita is estimated to have been the same in both regions in the year 1500. However, by 1998, GDP per capita growth in the U.S. was five times larger than that of Brazil.