Episode 2 of 2
Geometric-Arithmetic Population Model
- When
- 1798
- Where
- Unresolved site
Malthus argued population grows geometrically while food grows arithmetically, causing scarcity.
The essay warned of future difficulties by interpreting population as increasing in geometric progression, doubling every 25 years. In contrast, food production was described as increasing in arithmetic progression. This difference would result in a want of food and famine unless birth rates decreased, establishing the core principle of population dynamics.
Sources
- An Essay on the Principle of Population Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.