“Travellers and scholars who were attracted by the charms and fame of Bangladesh since time immemorial … showered effusive epithets on its bounties and wealth, affluence and prosperity …”
United Nations Bangladesh Mission, 2006
This is an estimate of the wealth of territories over 2000 years ago, using modern boundaries and modern concepts. There was probably much less variation between regions. The lowest wealth was in South America, with an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person of US$400 adjusted for purchasing power. The world average was US$445.
By 1990 the average per person GDP adjusted for purchasing power was US$5248; wealth per person in the poorest region was 4% of that in the richest. As GDP per person variations are low this map looks very similar to the population map for year 1. The Americas produced less because fewer people lived there.
