Overpopulation in Developing Countries

(1) Effects on Food Supply:

In the last decade of 18th century, Thomas Robert Malthus in his essay “Principle of Population” (1798) focused on the problem of population.

He reached his conclusion on the basis of two assumptions:

(i) “Food is necessary to the existence of man”,

(ii)”The passion between the sexes is necessary and will exist nearly in its present state.”


He therefore, deduced that “the power of population is infinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man. Population when unchecked, increase in geometrical ratio. Subsistence only increases in arithmetical ratio. Population has a tendency of increasing at a faster rate than the means of subsistence.”

Since his conception, a very long discussion has been undertaken among economists with a focus on the problem of population versus food supply. In India, per capita cultivated area has come down with the increasing pressure of population. The cultivated area per head came down in India from 1.11 acres in 1921 to 0.47 acres in 1991, indicating a high falls of 58 per cent. However, the gloomy picture of Indian economy also stresses the necessity of family planning.

(2) Effects on Unemployment:

An increasing trend of population tends to raise the intensity of the problem of unemployment, as it is always accompanied by a rise in the labour force of the community. The number of unemployed increases with the rising population, both in absolute and relative terms.


A large number of school going children and their backlog put a heavy pressure on educational planning. Moreover, the over population leads to enhance so many educational problems, such as inadequacy of buildings, overcrowded classes, shortage of good teachers, shift schools, rise of the student-teacher ratio and so on. Such conditions reduce the quality of education and increase the student unrest in the country, as we see in India, Pakistan and some other countries.

(3) Effects on Housing and Health Services:

In developing countries where they have heavy pressure of population and a high growth of population, people live either in urban areas or in the villages. There is shortage of housing, pure drinking water, sanitation, health services and other basic needs. It estimated that between 30 to 60 per cent of the population in Latin America, Africa and Asia live either in illegal settlements with little or no infrastructure or in overcrowded cheap houses.

(4) Effects on Economic Parameters:

A rapid growth of population brings down the gross national income by reducing the rates of savings and capital formation. Consequently, it slows down the growth of the per capita income. Sufficient food production becomes the top priority of the economic planning. So, the allocation of resources to other sectors of economy becomes very difficult.

Rapid growth of population also tends to increase the disparities of income and wealth in the society and divided it into two major groups:

(i) Capitalist group- a small and a very strong group of the society; and


(ii) Labour group the largest, but the weakest group depending on subsistence wages.

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