Three myths about old age before modernity – and why historians should care

Figures & data

Table 1. Share of males and females over the age of 60.

	% males >60	% females >60
Denmark 1787	8.0	9.3
Denmark 1800	8.9	9.9
Finland 1751	7.7	9.4
Finland 1800	5.9	6.7
Iceland 1703	5.4	8.8
Iceland 1800	8.9	12.7
Norway 1800	7.9	9.8
Sweden 1750	8.1	11.0
Sweden 1800	7.8	9.7

Source: Gille (1949), pp. 20–21.All observations are based on national censuses.

Figure 1. Proportion paying income tax: manual and non-manual workers.

Source: Mantalslängder Sample of 493 men over the age of 15 in 11 Stockholm blocks in 1800 Including active soldiers and state officials who did not pay taxes (see Appendix).

Table A1. Blocks sampled of the 1800 mantalslängd..

Block	District/Parish	Number of observations	Median total tax per male head of household	Mean total tax per male head of household
Wintervägen större	Johannes	63	1.36	1.15
Torkan	Johannes	348	0*	1.63
Sparfven	Jakob	146	1.84	2.24
Åkermannen	Kungsholmen	75	1.46	7.71
Timsten	Kungsholmen	26	1.52	2.03
Braxen	Klara nedre	145	2.45	3.25
Erisichton	Staden södra och västra	151	2.44	4.25
Cadmus	Staden södra och västra	55	15.22	14.66
Kattryggen	Maria västra	133	2.77	6.58
Ormen Mindre	Maria västra	199	3.21	6.51
Bonden sonen	Katarina södra	103	2	3.4

Source: Riksarkivet, SE/SSA/0031/06/G 1 BA/G 1 BA:26 (Överståthållarämbetet för uppbördsärenden, År 1800).

We used the districts/parishes mentioned in the source. Districts/parishes are ordered from North to South.

* Median taxes paid is zero because of the large number of soldiers who did not have to declare taxes.

Table A2. Manual and non-manual male labourers over 15 in the sample and in the 1800 mantalslängd.

	Sample of 11 blocks	Stockholm
Non-manual labourers	20.2%	38.2%
Manual labourers	79.8%	62.2%
Sample size	481	16.410

Source: Riksarkivet, SE/SSA/0031/06/G 1 BA/G 1 BA:26 (Överståthållarämbetet för uppbördsärenden, År 1800); Mantalsregister 1800–1884: https://sok.stadsarkivet.stockholm.se/Databas/mantalsregister-1800–1884/Sok?sidindex=0.

Gille, H. (1949). The demographic history of the northern European countries in the eighteenth century. Population Studies, 3(1), 3–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.1949.10416356

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