With support from the University of Richmond

New perspectives on how history is made

Medieval Britons were richer than modern poor people, study finds

People living in medieval England were more prosperous than modern day residents of the world's poorest nations, a study into Britain's economic history has found....

The paper, British Economic Growth 1270-1870, is published by the university's Centre on Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy, and estimates that per capita income in England in the late middle ages was about $1,000 or £634 a year when compared with currency values in 1990.

According to the World Bank, countries which had a per capita income of less than $1,000 last year included Ghana ($700), Cambodia ($650), Tanzania ($500), Ethiopia ($300) and Burundi ($150), while in India – one of the BRIC emerging economies – the gross income per capita stands only just above medieval levels at $1,180....
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)