The Black Death: How Many Died?
The Plague that struck Europe in the 1340s can best be appreciated by looking at the effect it had on the population.
Populations:Area Pre-Plague Post Plague Population Survived
England/Wales 3.7 2.5 68%
Scotland. 5 .4 80
Ireland .8 .6 75%
France 13 8.2 63%
Belgium/Lux 2 .8 67%
HRE 17 12.5 74%
Spain 7 5 71%
Italy 10 7 70%
Total 53.2 37 70%
HRE=Holy Roman Empire (Germany, Austria and parts of Eastern Europe and Scandanavia)
But that was not all, the Plague would return every 4-10 years to kill people through the rest of the14th century. By 1400, about half the population had perished from the effects of the Plague.
Estimated Population of Europe (A.D. 1000 - 1600)
Year Population in Millions
1000 36
1050 40
1100 44
1150 51
1200 58
1250 68
1300 79
1345 83
1400 60
1450 71
1500 81
1550 88
1600 100
Impact on population from the Black Death is indicated. For more than 100 years after 1347 the plague and its recurrences checked the normal rise in population. The estimates are dervived from demographers, actual data for the period are scarce.
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