Malthusian theory

Definition

The Malthusian Theory posits that population growth is potentially exponential while the growth of the food supply or other resources is linear. This disparity leads to inevitable shortages, famine, and population checks through natural events or human actions.

Related terms

Carrying capacity: The maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by a specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment.

Demographic transition: The transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country or region develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system.

Population dynamics: The study of short- and long-term changes in the size and age composition of populations and the processes driving these changes