ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses various aspects of the relationship between demographic changes and the economic and social structure of Sweden during the period 1750 to 1930. East Sweden was characterised by a high marriage frequency, early marriages, low marital fertility, high mortality and a relatively low rate of natural increase. West Sweden, on the other hand, was noted for a low marriage frequency, late marriages, high marital fertility, low mortality and a large natural increase. The manorial regions of the Southern plain, for example, exhibit a totally different pattern to that of other peasant and manorial regions, which were themselves essentially dissimilar. The short-term development was characterised by very strong annual fluctuations, especially within the mortality series, with considerable differences in mortality rates occurring between different regions. The relationship between economic and demographic fluctuations can be elucidated in a more methodical way by means of regression analysis.
