Share of Western Europe's population living in 5 Mediterranean countries 0-1998

At the beginning of the Common Era, over three quarters of Western Europe's population lived in the Mediterranean regions that make up present-day France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. At this time, all of these areas were under the control of the Roman Empire, and remained so until the fifth century. The Mediterranean region was the center of trade between Europe, Asia, and Africa throughout most of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and many of the most populous cities in the Europe were located in present-day Italy or Spain during this time. Due to this fact, these metropolitan areas were some of the most severely-hit during pandemic outbreaks. The emergence of Europe's maritime empires during the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and later the economic growth of Germany, led to a shift in Western Europe's population distribution; yet, over half of the population was located in these Mediterranean countries until the 19^th century.