Human Capital at the Beginning of the Eighteenth-Century in Catalonia: Age-Heaping and Numeracy in a Changing Economy

Abstract This article analyses arithmetic levels in early eighteenth-century Catalonia using 6,700 individual observations and the age-heaping methodology, which evaluates errors in age reporting. Catalonia represents an attractive case due to the lack of data on human capital during this crucial period of transition from a pre-industrial to an industrial society. The results reveal high levels of numerical competence, particularly in urban areas and among the middle classes, comparable to those of Western Europe. This suggests the potential for industrialization based on high numeracy despite low literacy.