Malthusian Theory of Population

The population is one of the most talked-about subjects in the current world. Every nation is worried and is working towards the benefit of its population. The population of any country has the potential of making the country more successful and taking it to greater heights of achievements. The quality of the population is the country’s way of proving to the world how many people can develop into world leaders of tomorrow. India is one of the fastest-growing countries in terms of population has the same kind of scenario going around all over.

The population of India is also the biggest asset for the country as a whole. We are a nation of diversity and we all come from very different backgrounds, yet the entire population of the country is somehow bonded together. The feeling of togetherness is what the country stands for and this is all because of how the population of the country has learnt to grow. 

Managing the population of a country is also a big task. For the leaders of any nation, the thing that worries them the most is the health, wellbeing and safety of the population of a country. There are several factors and things that contribute to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of a country’s population. The kind of food that they eat, the kind of lifestyle that they live and even the kind of money that they earn. The concept of population and its safety is a very complex one. To make things simpler, several theories by experts were devised to make some decisions for the population of any country. One such example is the Malthusian Theory that is going to be talked about in this article.

We are going to dive deep into this concept through this article. This article has been carefully constructed and has been written with the intent to make the readers understand all the details that are involved in the process of making decisions for a population. The story of the Malthusian Theory is a very interesting one and that is why we suggest that students go through the entire article carefully and research some more about the concept on their own as well. 

The Malthusian Theory

Amongst the well-known theories of population, the Malthusian theory is one of the oldest. Thomas Robert Malthus, an economist explained this theory in his 1798 essay on the ‘Principle of population’. He then modified some parts in the essay next edition in 1803. 

To Quote His Own Words:

“By nature, human food increases in a slow arithmetical ratio; man himself increases in a quick geometrical ratio unless want and vice stop him. The increase in numbers is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence Population invariably increases when the means of subsistence increase, unless prevented by powerful and obvious checks.”  

This can be simplified as the following; the human population grows in an exponential format, it increases according to birth rate and concerning that the food supply increases at a slower rate. If the population keeps on increasing there will be a limit and shortage of food. The shortage of food also indicates the increasing population. This increasing growth if not checked can put a strain on the economy, the environment, government, and the overall infrastructure of various social institutions. 

A simple example can be that in a family if every member of the family reproduces, the family tree will continue to grow, but food production grows at an arithmetic rate which means that it only increases at certain points of time. If left unchecked, as per the theory, a population would outgrow its resources.

Critical Elements of The Malthusian Theory of Population Growth

There are four major or critical elements of Malthusian theory. These are explained below.

• Population and Food Supply: Malthus theorised that any population grows in geometric progression. It’s a sequence of numbers where each term after the first is the result of multiplying the previous term with a fixed non-zero number. This non-zero number is called the common ratio. 

An example can be the following sequence: 5,10, 50, 250, 1250….the common ratio is 5

Coming to food resources, the production increases in an arithmetic progression which is a sequence of numbers in such a manner that the difference between back-to-back terms is a constant.

Example: 3, 7, 11,15,19… the common difference is 4.

From this, he derived that a population grows faster than the supply of food and exponential population growth will lead to a shortage of food.

• Preventive Checks: The principle behind this check is to bring down the birth rate to control the population. Preventative checks arise from fore-sight which enables anyone to see distant consequences if he has a large family. If the family has many children the standard of living is bound to below. The only way anyone can support a large family would be through strenuous labour than what he does in the present state. If he is not able to support the family then the family members may be exposed to poverty. So, man must self-restraint himself from marriage or starting a family unless he thinks that he can support a family. 

• Positive Checks: The basis of this check is that population growth is shortened by various factors such as warfare, disease, famine, etc. As a result of these factors, the population would be reduced to a level that can be sustained by the available quantity of food supply. Malthus stated that positive checks would result in a Malthusian catastrophe which forces a return of a population to basic survival.

Why Was The Malthusian Theory of Population Criticised?

Since its inception, the Malthusian theory attracted criticism because of its principles. Below is a summary of some of the grounds on which the theory has been criticised.

Malthus made gloomy forecasts about the economic conditions for future generations based on population growth. However, contrary to the theory, the human population has not increased rapidly and the production of food has increased due to the technological advancement in the agricultural and other food sectors. The living standards of the human population have improved.

• One of the major supporting factors behind Malthus’s theory was that food production would not be able to keep pace with population growth due to the operation of diminishing returns in agriculture. However, recent advancements in technology along with large capital investments in the agricultural sector have been able to postpone the stage of diminishing returns. Usage of high-quality seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and top-grade machinery have assisted agricultural growth. One of the best examples regarding the aspect is the Green Revolution in India. Introducing improved methods in farming and new inventions have increased food production to such an extent that it can sustain a growing population.

• Malthus stated that fertile lands used for food production were available in limited quantities, which is why food production can never rise faster than population. However, he never took account of different types of food production whilst considering the size of the population.

• England did face a shortage of agricultural land and if the country had to feed its population through farming then it would have suffered from famines. However, that was not the case as the industrial revolution made use of the country’s various natural resources such as coal and iron and made goods which were exported to other countries in exchange for food. Malthus made the mistake of only considering agriculture and food production when it came to sustaining a growing population.

• Malthus did not provide calculations for the arithmetic growth of food and the geometric growth of population. Present-day experts have pointed out that the growth rates in both matters are inconsistent concerning Malthus’s predictions.

The Importance of The Malthusian Theory

There are some elements of the Malthusian theory which have some weightage. Humans have a strong desire to reproduce. This is to maintain the family lineage and legacy. So the population is bound to grow rapidly if birth control measures are not taken.

Malthus’s assumptions regarding positive checks are true to a certain extent. History has shown that whenever there is an increase in population for any country, thousands have died due to natural calamities.

After studying these points, one can say that the theory is valid to a certain extent. Some of the leading economists of modern times have observed that Thomas Malthus in this theory regarding population growth has stated the partial truth and no one can deny that.

Malthusian Theory Summary

Based on the principles of the Malthusian theory it can be summarised into the following points:

• The growth of the human population is much faster than the rate of growth for the means of subsistence such as food, clothing, and other agro-products.

• As the production rate of agro products is slower it is surpassed by population growth which results in the onset of poverty

• Control of the growth of the population is important to sustain the population.

• Positive checks restore the balance between the increased growth rate of population and food supply.

Conclusion 

As mentioned from the very beginning of the article, the health and well-being of a country’s population are a big deal and that is why several theories like this one were made. We hope that this article was helpful for you to understand and get a good idea of what the Malthusian Theory of Population was. The article covers some really interesting facts that we encourage our students to research on their own and increase the arsenal of their knowledge. Thank you for reading this article from Vedantu. We are grateful for you and we wish you very good luck for the next exam that you are preparing for!