The bar chart dramatically represents the impact of the Black Death and the recurrent epidemics that hit Europe between 1340 and 1450. More than a century after the Black Death, none of the regions of Europe had made up for the losses of population. The population of 1450 stood at about 75–80 percent of the pre-plague population. The areas hardest hit were France and the Low Countries, which also suffered from the devastation of the Hundred Years’ War.

Question to Consider

Can you suggest explanations for the variations in population loss that this chart shows?