The Black Death: Mortality Rates of Regions and Cities

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First published: Friday April 3rd, 2026
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Illustration of people in Tournai burying the dead

Introduction

Siena, 1348: "And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city."

The Black Death was a pandemic that devastated Europe from 1345 to 1353, causing over 30 million Europeans to die. The Plague's first appearance was recorded in Northern Europe at least 5,000 years ago. It went on to make multiple appearances throughout the course of several millennia, such as the Justinian Plague from 541-767 A.D. and the 1331-1334 Plague outbreak in China, both of which caused massive death and destruction in the areas they spread to. However, the Plague outbreak from 1345-1353 was far more devastating than any other: 32 million dead in Europe, 25 million in Asia, and perhaps 3 million in North Africa.

The Black Death in France

In 1345, the population of modern-day France was estimated at 20.2 million people. By 1352 that figure had halved. Paris' population of 215,000 in 1348 had fallen to a mere 100-110,000 after the Plague. In Saint-Omer, there were 33 money-chargers in 1349; however by 1352 there were just 13. In Narbonne, there were 6,029 fires in 1336, but there were just 2,500 in 1361. 3 in 5 people in Marseille had died, and 1 in 2 in Perpignan. 50% of Givry's population died from August-November 1348, and given that 619 people perished in the town from August 5th - November 19th, we can assume that Givry had around 1,238 people before the outbreak. Approximately 649 people died in the town in 1348, so that gives us a mortality rate of around 52 percent in Givry. The cities of Arras and Douai supposedly lost less than 10% of their populations in the Plague; if this is true then under 4,000 deaths would have occurred in two cities that had a combined population of 40,000. Philip Ziegler estimates that one-half of Avignon was dead after the pandemic's end. France was one of the worst-hit areas by the Plague - most cities and towns had death rates exceeding 50%. Mortality rates were generally very high across France, but there was lots of regional variation.

The Black Death in Italy

Similar to France, around half of Italy's population died in the Black Death, and mortality greatly varied by region. Prior to the Plague there were around 12.5 million people in modern-day Italy. In Milan, a house that reported a case of the Plague was immediately boarded up and the residents inside were usually left to die. This method proved to be effective, however, as only 15% of Milan's 150,000 inhabitants died as a result of the Black Death, significantly less than the 60%+ mortality rates recorded in some other Italian and French cities. At the time, the Lordship of Milan was under control of the Visconti family, known as one of, if not the most, brutal and tyrannical ruling family of Milan. Florence wasn't met with the same fate. The city had approximately 95,000 people before the Plague, but a tax survey from 1351 showed that only 40,000 remained. Half of Venice's 100,000 people died despite quarantine efforts. In Genoa, 35% of the population perished and 30-50% of Siena, which "died and never recovered". Rome's population dropped from 30,000 in 1300 to 17,000 in 1377. One in two people living in Orvieto died. 35 percent of Bologna's 50,000 inhabitants succumbed to the Plague. In San Gimignano roughly 2/3 of the population died while more than 40% did in Prato. Around 50% of people in urban Sicily perished, as did over 70% of people in Scicli. In Italy it seems that the death rate was very high in the most populous cities, however lower in less prominent settlements (albeit still high).

The Black Death in Germany

Mortality rates in Germany aligned with the European average. Roughly 4 in 10 inhabitants died in the cities of Erfurt, Lübeck and Bremen. In just one day, 4% of Mainz's population died as a result of a massacre which annihilated 1,000 Jews. Potentially 1/4 of the remaining population died from the Black Death. One source suggests that 11,000 people in Münster died. Münster had a population of 16,000 in 1300. Half of Magdeburg's family units disappeared, and Cologne lost a third of its 54,000 residents. Die Limburger Chronik estimates that, of 3,000 people in the city of Limburg an der Lahn before the Plague, 2,400 died and only 600 people remained after. Overall Germany had devastating mortality rates, but not as severe as France and Italy. Germany's population was estimated at 9 million in 1300 and 6.5 million in 1400.

The Black Death in the British Isles

In 1300 England had approximately 3,450,000 people, while Wales had roughly 300,000. 3/7 of Londoners died in the outbreak. 40% of people in York passed during the Black Death, and 40% of Coventry's, Lichfield's and Lincoln's diocese passed as well. Mortality rates in Bristol, Norwich, Nottingham and Exeter were around 40%, 56%, 60% and 63% respectively. In Cottenham, 33 of the 58 tenants were dead by the early 1350s. At least 70% of Great Yarmouth succumbed to the Plague. Based on Carenza Lewis' analysis of broken pottery pieces in east England before and after the Black Death, Binham lost 71% of its population while Gaywood and Paston both lost as much as 85%. The life expectancy of England collapsed from 29.9 from 1326-48 to 17.01 from 1348-75. In Scotland, half of Aberdeen died while 1/3 of Saint. Andrews' canons perished. Dublin's population declined by 35%. Overall, England probably lost around 45% of its population while Wales and Scotland both lost around a third, and Ireland lost a quarter. In summary the British Isles' population went from 5 million in 1340 to 3 million in 1350.

The Black Death in Iberia

Spain had a similar mortality rate to England and Germany. Half of Navarre died and 40% of Catalonia. In Lisbon the population halved. Bishops lost 37% of their members in Iberia. Barcelona lost approximately 36% of its population while Granada lost around 33%. Iberia's population went from 7.25 million to 4.6 million.

The Black Death in Belgium

Many years ago it was thought that Belgium was relatively unscathed by the Black Death, however new research proves that this is not true. Belgium lost 3/10 if its inhabitants. Before the Black Plague there were 42 annuitants in Bruges, but after 13 annuities had expired. Leuven allegedly lost less than a tenth of its population, and one map suggests Liège was partially or totally spared by the Plague. Belgium was among the most urban nations in Europe at the time, with 22% of Belgium's population population being concentrated in cities with at least 5,000 inhabitants, compared to the European average of just 9%.

The Black Death in the Nordics

The Black Death did not reach Iceland and potentially did not reach isolated Finland as well, but it very much devastated Denmark, Sweden and Norway. One third of Sweden's population was killed as a result of the outbreak. One source estimates that 60-65% of Norway was killed, which is unlikely but shows how destructive it was in the country. The disease arrived in Norway in 1349, most likely via an English ship, and the Plague arrived in Denmark in the same year, probably from northern Germany. By 1350 Sweden was surrounded by the Black Plague on two sides, and the disease quickly infected much of the population. Finland may have been exposed to the Plague from 1351-2 but there is no evidence to confirm this and if it was true then no significant death toll was recorded.

The Black Death in Central - Eastern Europe

The population of Greater Poland, Lesser Poland and Mazovia, all three of which basically made up the entirety of the Kingdom of Poland at the time, was around 1.25 million in 1340. Given that a quarter of the Kingdom's population died we can assume that around 300,000 people in the Kingdom of Poland departed in the Black Death.1/3 of Vienna and the Balkan Peninsula died in the Plague. More than half of Istanbul perished. In Russia, 40% of Sarai-Berke was killed from 1345-6. The Black Death circled around the country before eventually decimating the Principality of Kiev in 1352 and 1353. Gdańsk's population fell from 9,000 in 1300 to 7,700 in 1367. One source suggests that 85,000 people died in Crimea. Riga lost a quarter of its population while only 70% of craftsmen in Tallinn survived the pandemic. Bohemia is thought to have evaded the Black Death, for the most part. Eastern and Central Europe were hit hard but did not experience the absurdly high mortality rates of Western Europe.

The Black Death Outside of Europe

In Talas, Samarkand, Egypt and Cairo, around 40% of the population died. 30% of Persia died while around a third of the Middle East did. 400,000 people in Syria were deceased by March 1349. In Damascus at least 18,000 ended up dead, with some estimates going as high as 28,000. Gaza reported a death toll of 10,000. Millions succumbed to the disease in China and central Asia, and it's clear that the Black Death was not only limited to Europe. Cairo suffered the most deaths out of any other city in the world, with the death toll exceeding 200,000. The world was not the same after the Black Death. It felt empty and desolate. However, centuries of recovery and perseverance have brought the global population to 8 billion, 20 times what it was in 1300.