Historical demographics Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus Articles Demographic history Historical demography Classical · Medieval World population estimates List of countries by population 1000 1500 1600
This is a list of countries by population in 1500. Estimate numbers are from the beginning of the year, and exact population figures are for countries that held a census on various dates in that year. The bulk of these numbers are sourced from Alexander V. Avakov's Two Thousand Years of Economic Statistics, Volume 1, pages 12 to 14, which cover population figures from the year 1500 divided into modern borders. Avakov, in turn, cites a variety of sources, mostly Angus Maddison.
List
Rank Country/Territory Population estimate Percentage ofworld population – World Angus Maddison, 2003, The World Economy: Historical Statistics, Vol. 2, OECD, Paris. (2008, ggdc.net) 438,000,000 –1 Ming ChinaEdwin Oldfather Reischauer, John King Fairbank, Albert M. Craig (1960) A history of East Asian civilization, Volume 1. East Asia: The Great Tradition, George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Gives a differing figure of 125 million, compared to Avakov's 103 million.60,000,000–103,000,0002 Delhi Sultanate Lodi dynasty~55,000,000~3 Holy Roman EmpireThe combined population of Germany (12m), Austria (2m), Czechia (2.16m), Belgium (1.4m), the Netherlands (0.95m), Switzerland (0.65m), Slovenia (0.208m), and a third of Italy (3.5m); does not include the Empire's various now-French territories such as Franche-Comté (6,300 square miles, ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy), the départements of Nord and Pas-de-Calais (4,800 square miles together, part of the Habsburg Netherlands), Alsace (3,200 square miles), the County of Nice (1,500 square miles, ruled by the Savoyards), or core Savoy itself (4,000 square miles, ruled by the Savoyards). Avakov, p. 12-13.23,000,000+4Vijayanagara Empire18,000,0005 France and possessions16,250,0006 Ottoman EmpireBehar, Cem, ed. 1996. Osmanlı Đmparatorluğu'nun ve Türkiye'nin nüfusu, 1500–1927. Ankara: T.C. Basbakanlık Devlet Đstatistik Enstitüsü = State Institute of Statistics Prime Ministry Republic of Turkey.12,640,0007 Inca Empire 12-32,000,0008 Bengal Sultanate10,526,0009 Ashikaga Japan(a) Jean-Noël Biraben, "The History of the Human Population From the First Beginnings to the Present" in "Demography: Analysis and Synthesis: A Treatise in Population" (Eds: Graziella Caselli, Jacques Vallin, Guillaume J. Wunsch) Vol 3, Chapter 66, pp 5–18, Academic Press, San Diego (2005). (b) Jean-Noël Biraben, "An Essay Concerning Mankind's Evolution", Population, Selected Papers, Vol. 4, pp. 1–13 (1980). (c) Jean-Noël Biraben, "Essai sur l'évolution du nombre des hommes", Population Vol. 34 (no. 1), pp. 13–25 (1979).9,800,00010 Joseon 9,100,000-9,700,000 9,412,00011 Spain and possessions8,900,00012 Polish–Lithuanian Union 7,500,00013 Grand Duchy of MoscowAvakov, p.12; the figure is 8.183 million for all of modern European Russia, including the steppe and Caucasian polities that were not under the Grand Duchy of Moscow's control. Natalia Gorskaya (1994) in "Историческая демография России эпохи феодализма: итоги и проблемы изучения" (in Russian), p. 93-96, gives the Grand Duchy a population of 5.8 million in 1500.6,000,00014 Aztec Empire6,000,00015 Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt5,867,0001.3%16Lê dynasty (Đại Việt) 5,625,40017 Aq Qoyunlu Iran~4,000,0000.9%18 Majapahit EmpireLess than 4,000,0000.9%19Union of Kingdom of Hungaryand Kingdom of Croatia| Kingdom of Hungary | Kingdom of Croatia, without medieval Slavonia3,000,000500,000*20 Wattasid dynasty 3,500,00021 Portugal and possessions3,000,000++22Northern Yuan~2,760,0000.6%23 England and possessions2,750,00024Champa2,500,00025 Ayutthaya Kingdom (Siam)2,000,00026 Muisca ConfederationJuan Friede (1966). Invasión del país de los chibchas. Santa Fe de Bogotá: Ediciones Tercer Mundo, pp. 19, in Spanish 2,000,00027 Papal States2,000,00028 Ethiopian Empire1,870,00029 Kalmar Union 1,690,00030 Republic of Venice1,500,00031 Kingdom of Tlemcen1,500,00032 Cambodia1,224,00033 Hafsid dynasty800,00034 Republic of Florence 750,00035 Kingdom of Scotland500,00036Lan Xang400,00037 Principality of Moldavia400,00038 Malacca Sultanate135,00038 Republic of RagusaNenad Vekaric, "The Population of the Dubrovnik Republic in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries," Dubrovnik Annals 1998, Vol. 2, pp. 7–2890,00039 Nan Madol (Saudeleur dynasty)25,000
See also List of countries by population List of sovereign states in 1500 List of countries by population in 1600 List of countries by population in 1700
Notes
References
Sources
Kurt Witthauer. Bevölkerung der Erde (1958) Calendario Atlante de Agostini, anno 99 (2003) The Columbia Gazetteer of the World (1998) Britannica Book of the Year: World Data (1997)