Wizard population

[flying_ford_anglia]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C6939
From: flying_ford_anglia
Subject: Wizard population
Date: 8/15/00 9:16 pm  (ET)

Here a few more bits of evidence that support (although not conclusively)
a fairly small wizarding population: -

(1) Wizards have "just the one bank" - Gringotts - according to
Hagrid. This also makes me wonder where the foreign students get their
money. I guess we have to assume that Hagrid was talking about the
UK only.

(2) When Harry arrives to purchase his robes is Book 1, Madam Malkin
assumes he is going to Hogwarts without being told, suggesting that
Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in the UK.

(3) We've only seen one newspaper mentioned - The Daily Prophet - highly
suggestive of a small population.

(4) Quidditch. If the school had more than 300 or so students, there
might be a Quidditch team for each year, instead of only four selected
from all the students in each House.

I agree, broadly, with Simon's figures, but would assume that, since the
wizarding population seems to be tailing off, the population is skewed
to the older end. There may be about 6,000 witches and wizards in the
UKm at a rough guess.

Neil