| 
     
      
    The largest nation of Europe was for a very long time 
    France, during the 17th century was one fifth of Europe’s 
    population French. Because France was so densely populated did the French 
    people practise family planning at an early stage. The effect of this was 
    that France’s share of Europe’s population decreased during the 19th 
    century. The population growth that occurred during the 19th 
    century was the result of an increase in the average life span and not an 
    increase of the birth rate. 
    
      
    
      
        | 
        
         France 
   | 
       
      
        | 
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
         | 
         | 
       
      
        | 
        
         50 BC 
        0 
        400  | 
        
        
         5.0 - 6.7 
        8.0 
        12.2  | 
        
        
         1580 
        1594 
        1600  | 
        
        
         20.0 
        18.5 
        20.0  | 
        
        
         1890 
        1900 
        1910  | 
        
        
         38.4 
        38.9 
        39.5  | 
       
      
        | 
        
         8.8 
        5.0 
        12.0  | 
        
        
         1670 
        1700 
        1715  | 
        
        
         18.0 
        21.0 
        19.2  | 
        
        
         1920 
        1930 
        1940  | 
        
        
         39.0 
        41.6 
        39.0  | 
       
      
        | 
        
         800 
        850 
        1200  | 
       
      
        
        
        1226 
        1300 
        1320 | 
        
        
        16.0 
        14.5 
        20.0 | 
        
        
        1740 
        1775 
        1789 | 
        
        
        24.6 
        25.0 
        27.6 | 
        
        
        1950 
        1960 
        1970 | 
        
        
        41.8 
        45.7 
        50.8 | 
       
      
        
        
        1328 
        1330 
        1340 | 
        
        
        13.0 - 16.0 
        12.0 - 20.0 
        21.0 | 
        
        
        1801 
        1810 
        1820 | 
        
        
        27.5 
        29.3 
        30.3 | 
        
        
        1980 
        1990 
        2000 | 
        
        
        53.9 
        56.7 
        59.0 | 
       
      
        | 
         
        1345 
        1350 
        1357-1453  | 
        
         
        20.2 
        18.0 
        16.6  | 
        
        
         1830 
        1840 
        1850  | 
        
        
         32.4 
        34.1 
        35.6  | 
        
        
         2010 
        2020 
           | 
        
        
         62.8 
        65.1 
           | 
       
      
        | 
        
         1457 
        1500 
        1550  | 
        
        
         19.7 
        15.0 - 18.0 
        16.0  | 
        
        
         1860 
        1870 
        1880  | 
        
        
         36.5 
        36.9 
        37.5  | 
        
            | 
        
            | 
       
      
        | 
        
          
        Spain 
 
  | 
       
      
        | 
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
       
      
        | 
        
         0 
        1350 
        1500  | 
        
        
         4.0 
        6.0 
        6.0 - 10.0  | 
        
        
         1820 
        1840 
        1850  | 
        
        
         11.0 
        14.0 
        15.7  | 
        
         
        1950 
        1960 
        1970  | 
        
         
        27.9 
        30.5 
        33.8  | 
       
      
        
        
        1550 
        1600 
        1650 | 
        
        
        7.0 
        8.0 
        7.0 | 
        
        
        1860 
        1870 
        1880 | 
        
        
        15.6 
        16.2 
        16.9 | 
        
        
        1980 
        1990 
        2000 | 
        
        
        37.5 
        39.0 
        40.3 | 
       
      
        | 
         
        
        
        1700 
        1750 
        1769  | 
        
         
        
        5.0 
        9.0 
        9.2  | 
        
         
        
        1890 
        1900 
        1910  | 
        
         
        17.8 
        18.5 
        19.8  | 
        
        
         
        2010 
        2020 
           | 
        
        
         46.5 
        47.3 
           | 
       
      
        | 
        
         1787 
        1797 
        1815  | 
        
        
         10.3 
        10.5 
        12.5  | 
        
         
        
        1920 
        1930 
        1940  | 
        
         
        
        21.2 
        23.3 
        25.8  | 
        
            | 
        
            | 
       
      
        | 
        
          
        Portugal 
 
  | 
       
      
        | 
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
        
         | 
       
      
        | 
        
         0 
        1500 
        1600  | 
        
        
         1.0 
        1.0 
        2.0  | 
        
        
         1861 
        1864 
        1878  | 
        
        
         4.0 
        4.2 
        4.6  | 
        
        
         1950 
        1960 
        1970  | 
        
        
         8.4 
        8.9 
        9.0  | 
       
      
        
        
        
        1768 
        1801 
        1821 | 
        
        
        2.4 
        2.9 
        3.0 | 
        
        
        
        1890 
        1900 
        1910 | 
        
        
        5.1 
        5.4 
        5.9 | 
        
        
        1980 
        1990 
        2000 | 
        
        
        9.8 
        9.9 
        10.3 | 
       
      
        | 
        
         1835 
        1841 
        1854  | 
        
        
         3.1 
        3.7 
        3.8  | 
        
        
         1920 
        1930 
        1940  | 
        
        
         6.0 
        6.8 
        7.7  | 
        
        
         2010 
        2020 
           | 
        
        
         10.6 
        10.3 
           | 
       
       
      
     
     |