As reflected in output per capita, the UK’s living standards caught up to those in the Netherlands by around 1800 and overtook them in the mid-19th century, when the UK approached the zenith of its share of world output (around 20 percent). In parallel to this economic growth—and helping to reinforce it—the UK became the world’s dominant trading nation, pulling decisively ahead of the Dutch in the late 1700s and maintaining that position through the 19th century.
