
Growth in European countries' GDP per capita 1897-1913
In the 16 years leading up to the First World War, the growth of GDP per capita varied across Europe, from growth rates of just six percent in the Netherlands, to 37 percent in Denmark. Of the major powers, France and Germany experienced the largest growth in this period, at 32 percent growth each, while Britain's growth was roughly half of this. It is important to remember, that the GDP per capita, along with economic development and industrialization, varied across Europe in this time period. For these reasons, Central and Eastern Europe had a higher overall GDP per capita growth rate than Western Europe, although Western Europe was much more advanced due to where its economy was in 1897.