There can be little disagreement on the long-term development of standard of living in Sweden between, say, 1750 and 1914.

As a result of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, living standards over much of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries increased tremendously by whatever indicators one chooses. Real wages, gross domestic product (GDP), educational levels, urbanization, and life expectancy all increased, while fertility declined, as did mortality in most age groups. However, when it comes to the development of the standard of living within this period there is much more uncertainty as to when, more precisely, the improvements occurred in various social groups.

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