What percentage of the population died from the Black Death?

• A. 10-20%
• B. 50-66%
• C. 70-80%
• D. 90-95%

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is the scale of mortality caused by the Black Death and how historians estimate it. In many parts of Europe, the plague left a huge toll, with roughly half to two-thirds of the population in the hardest-hit areas dying. So the range around 50-66% best matches the common historical estimates used in GCSE contexts.

Think about it this way: the plague struck suddenly in the mid-14th century, spreading rapidly through towns and countryside alike. While some regions fared better and some worse, the overall impact was enormous enough that about half of the population died in many places, with some areas experiencing even higher losses. The other ranges—being much lower or much higher than this typical span—don’t fit the broad consensus of what historians estimate for Europe as a whole.