political arithmetic

noun

The demographic statistics of a country or state.

First used 17th c.
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Meanings

nounpolitical arithmetic (uncountable)
  1. archaichistoricaluncountableThe demographic statistics of a country or state.First known use 17th c.

    I have no great faith in political arithmetic, and I mean not to warrant the exactness of either of these computations.

    1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
    1 more example

    The most basic effect of political arithmetic was namely to establish that a nation's strength depended above all on the number of inhabitants [...].

    2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 221
Cite this entry
APA

political arithmetic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/political%20arithmetic

MLA

“political arithmetic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/political%20arithmetic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “political arithmetic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/political%20arithmetic.

Source: political arithmetic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.