[Cronos]

The UK had a population less than 2023 New York for much of history until 1800

[Cronos]

In contrast, France was the population powerhouse of Europe through the middle ages (when it was 25% of the entire European population) until 1830 or so when it started lagging behind other population centers

Germany was sparsely populated until the mid 1800s

Or Poland

Or Russia - which had a population of 11 million in 1700, but then 25 million in 1800, and 73 million in 1900

[Cronos]

The population of the Roman Empire at its peak in 117 AD was between 59 to 76 million

at that same time, Han China (which had a census in 156 AD) was about 51 million people

[mjp]

Thanks to capitalism and technological progress, England and the United States were the first countries to escape from the Malthusian trap around 1820. They were the first two countries to be able to increase both the average standard of living and population at the same time.

[Honest Nigerian]

What is THE POINT of this article?
BTW - for anyone interested in a fantastic podcast series, I recommend “The History of England”, by David Crowther.