The Optimum Population
- Overpopulation occurs when there are more people in a country/region than can be supported by its resources & technology & leads to
- Higher levels of pollution
- Higher crime rates
- Higher unemployment or underemployment
- Higher levels of food & water shortages
- Higher pressure on services such as hospitals & schools
- Underpopulation occurs when there are more resources available than the population can use effectively & may lead to
- Fewer people paying tax which can lead to higher taxes
- Underused resources, which can lead to wastage
- A shortage of workers
- Lower levels of exports & production which affects the wealth of an area
- Fewer customers for goods & services
- Optimum population occurs when there is a balance between the number of people & the resources/technology available
Optimum Theory of Population
- The optimum population results in the highest standard of living
- There are not so many people or so few resources that the standard of living falls
- There are enough people to develop the resources of the country
Exam Tip
It is important to remember that over-population does not just mean there are a lot of people & under-population that there are few people. The terms refer to the balance between population & resources. There may be many people in a country, but it is only over-populated when there are too few resources to support that population.