The immediate cause of the increase of population is the excess of the births above deaths; and the rate of increase, or the period of doubling, depends upon the proportion which the excess of the births above the deaths bears to the population.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Population grows when births exceed deaths, and the speed of growth depends on the ratio of this excess to the total population.
- In plain terms
- Population increases based on the balance of births and deaths.
- What can you take from it?
- Understand birth-death ratios to predict population trends.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does migration affect this calculation?
- Is this ratio stable over time?
Another view
This model ignores migration and external factors.
More from Thomas Malthus
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