You would. Of course. But not necessarily because of western rule causing famine, perhaps because of improved record keeping. Just looking at the spans in GP comment, it seems the gaps are getting shorter.

Great point. I feel like statistics could have been so much more fun in school had I really embraced the joy of mystery solving.

That's a good point, we probably only know most of the really bad ones or historically relevant ones. Just like volcano eruptions.

My guess would be ramping up population growth. Any wealth created by colonial rule, and British technology / peace / medicine, would be turned into more people surviving into adulthood.

> Any wealth created by colonial rule, and British technology / peace / medicine, would be turned into more people surviving into adulthood.

As opposed to, what? The destitution that comes with independence? It seems to suggest the colonized people were savages killing each other before the British stopped by so generously.