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Growth Rates The Rule of 70 tells us that the time it

How did the United States manage to produce nearly seven times more per person in takes a variable that grows gradually over
2008 than in 1908? A little bit at a time. Long - run economic growth is normally a time to double is approximately 70 divided
gradual process in which real GDP per capita grows at most a few percent per year. by that variable’s annual growth rate.
From 1908 to 2008, real GDP per capita in the United States increased an average of
1.9% each year.
To have a sense of the relationship between the annual growth rate of real GDP per
capita and the long -run change in real GDP per capita, it’s helpful to keep in mind the Section 7 Economic Growth and Productivity
Rule of 70, a mathematical formula that tells us how long it takes real GDP per
capita, or any other variable that grows gradually over time, to double. The approxi-
mate answer is:

(37-1) Number of years for variable to double = 70
Annual growth rate of variable

(Note that the Rule of 70 can be applied to only a positive growth rate.) So if real
GDP per capita grows at 1% per year, it will take 70 years to double. If it grows at 2%
per year, it will take only 35 years to double. Applying the Rule of 70 to the 1.9% aver-
age growth rate in the United States implies that it should have taken 37 years for
real GDP per capita to double; it would have taken 111 years—three periods of
37 years each—for U.S. real GDP per capita to double three times. That is, the Rule
of 70 implies that over the course of 111 years, U.S. real GDP per capita should have
increased by a factor of 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. And this does turn out to be a pretty good ap-
proximation of reality. Between 1890 and 2008—a period of 118 years—real GDP per
capita rose just about eightfold.
Figure 37.3 shows the average annual rate of growth of real GDP per capita
for selected countries from 1980 to 2008. Some countries were notable success
stories: we’ve already mentioned China, which has made spectacular progress.
India, although not matching China’s performance, has also achieved impres -
sive growth.
Some countries, though, have had very disappointing growth. Argentina was
once considered a wealthy nation. In the early years of the twentieth century, it
was in the same league as the United States and Canada. But since then it has

figure 37.3

Comparing Recent Average annual
growth rate
Growth Rates 10%
of real GDP
Here the average annual rate of per capita, 8.8%
growth of real GDP per capita 1980–2008 8
from 1980 to 2008 is shown for
selected countries. China and, to 6
a lesser extent, India and Ireland
have achieved impressive growth. 4.1% 3.9%
The United States and France have 4
had moderate growth. Despite hav-
ing once been considered an eco- 2 1.9% 1.5% 1.2%
nomically advanced country,
Argentina has had sluggish growth. 0
Still others, such as Zimbabwe,
have slid backward.
–2
Source: International Monetary Fund. –1.8%
China India Ireland United France Argentina Zimbabwe
States

module 37 Long-run Economic Growth 371