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In the 2nd century AD, between 800 thousand and 1 million inhabitants lived in the city, while in the entire Empire there were between 50 and 60 million inhabitants. In other words: in terms of population, Rome was the size of Curitiba – and the Empire, the size of today’s Italy.
At that time, the Roman Empire reached the peak of its territorial expansion, with an area of 4 million km² – a territory that today corresponds to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa. The world population, at the time, was approximately 200 million inhabitants, according to a report released by the UN in 2015. Today, this is the population of Brazil.
This means that out of every four people, one lived within the limits of the Empire. No current power – not even China – achieves this rate. The world might be less populous, but proportionately, Rome was a geopolitical masdotonde.
Without 21st century medicine, you can imagine the death rate would be high. In addition to constant Germanic invasions, the Romans had to deal with social inequality, frequent wars and lack of resources for everyone. As a result, life expectancy was low, and most people died by age 30.
Question by Everaldo Alves Ferreira, São Paulo, SP
Sources: books Imperialism, Power, and Identity: Experiencing the Roman Empireby David J. Mattingly; Handbook to Life in Ancient Romeby Lesley Adkins and Roy A. Adkins