UK - Overpopulation?

Thomas Robert Malthus was an influential British economist best known for his theory on population growth, outlined in his 1798 book “An Essay on the Principle of Population.”

In it, Malthus argued that populations inevitably expand until they outgrow their available food supply, causing the population growth to be reversed by disease, famine, war, or calamity.

He is also known for developing an exponential formula used to forecast population growth, which is currently known as the Malthusian growth model.

-www.investopedia.com, 13 April 2025

Commentary: Thomas Malthus’s book, “An Essay on the Principle of Population,” first published in 1798, has been proven dead wrong.

An example: corn in the USA. While no reliable historic statistics are available, a search states that 100 years ago, harvests “likely averaged around 10 to 20 bushels per acre.” In 2025, harvests averaged 186.7 bushels per acre. Thus, the issue is not overpopulation but actually over-production.

When Malthus published his book in 1798, 85–90% of the working population was employed in agriculture in the USA. Today, only 1–1.2% of the total workforce is in agriculture.

While Malthus was found to be dead wrong, so will Darwin. “Malthus wrote about how the human population was growing at too fast a rate to be sustainable. After reading this work, Chales Darwin wrote about it influencing his theories” (study.com). It’s just a matter of time.

We do well to look to our Creator for any and all answers: “That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others” (Psalm 49:9-10).