Population increase
Did the population rise after 1740?
Industrial Revolution
According to Robert Hughes in "The Fatal Shore", the population of England and Wales, which had remained steady at 6 million from 1700 to 1740, rose dramatically after 1740. The population of England had more than doubled from 8.3 million in 1801 to 16.8 million in 1850 and, by 1901, had nearly doubled again to 30.5 million. As living conditions and health care improved during the 19th century, Britain's population doubled every 50 years. Europe's population increased from about 100 million in 1700 to 400 million by 1900. The Industrial Revolution was the first period in history during which there was a simultaneous increase in population and in per capita income.