The figure illustrates the change in per capita income from 1000BC to 2000AD
The figure illustrates the change in per capita income from 1000BC to 2000AD. Till the 1800s, the per capita income remained almost constant and followed the Malthusian Trap. Thus, for most of recorded human history, per capita income did not rise by much and the average living standards in 18th century in England were not much higher than those in the ancient times. But after the Industrial Revolution, new, improved technology allowed food production to hugely increase which subsequently resulted in a continuous upward trend in the population and per capita income. Therefore, the Malthusian Trap break was broken after the 1800s which was the stage of the great divergence.
