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DEMOGRAPHY OF SWEDEN.
10 L
industrial system, which had hitherto flourished in Sweden. During
the decades which have passed since then, the country has been drawn
within the sphere of modern industrial concentration and international
competition, and this under conditions which have been unusually
unfavourable to us. It cannot surprise us then that this period of
transition brought with it economical difficulties, expressing themselves in
various ways, amongst them in an excessive emigration, which
naturally diminished the increase of population. At present, however,
everything tends to indicate that this unfavourable period of
transition is now drawing to a close, and that a new and prosperous era in
the economical history of Sweden is about to open. Since 1894,
emigration has again sunk to a relatively low point. The population,
which in 1835 amounted to 3 millions, and in 1863 to fully 4 millions,
at the close of 1897 exceeded 5 millions, and still shows satisfactory
signs of growth.
To be able properly to appreciate the rate of increase of the
population of Sweden, this rate should be compared with that of the entire
European continent during the same period. Such a comparison is
possible, however, for the nineteenth century only, and is shown in
following table.
Table 8. Increase of population in Europe and in Smeden.
At the end of the years Population. Sweden in Years. Annual increase, °/oo.
Europe. Sweden. Europe. Sweden.
1800............... 1820............... 186,855,000 213,246,000 2,347,303 2,584,890 12-56 1212 Average: 1801/20 ............ 6fi4 4-84
1840............... 250,342,000 3,138,887 12-64 1821/40 .......... 805 9-75
1860............... 283,188,000 3,»59,728 13-68 1841/60.............. 619 10-89
1880............... 332,560,000 4,565,668 13-78 1861/80 ........... 808 8-48
1900............... 399,800,000 5,136,411 12-85 1881/00.............. 9-26 5-91
Thus, at the beginning of this century, the population of Sweden
amounted to 12-5 6 °/oo of that of all Europe, while, at the end of the
century, the proportion was 12-8 5 °/oo. Consequently, in spite of an
immense emigration, the population of our country has in no ways fallen
behind the general advance. The rate of increase has been, on an
average, 7-64 °/oo yearly for the whole of Europe, and for Sweden 7-8 6 °/oo.
A general idea of the increase of population in the different läns can be gained
by reference to Table 5. It should be pointed out, that in former times the increase
of population in the different parts of the country varied far less than is the
case now. The towns were still unimportant, the communications imperfect, the
limits between different trades difficult to pass, while emigration was almost
unknown. The consequence of this was, on the whole, that the population of
each district increased by means of its excess of births over deaths. The highly
pronounced unequalness in our days in the increase of the population is due to
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