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What Is Optimal Population?

The optimal theory of population proposes that there is an optimum population size that allows for the highest per capita economic return through full utilization of available resources. A population below this optimum results in underutilization of resources and lower per capita output, while a population above optimum leads to diminishing returns. The theory focuses on the relationship between population size and total wealth production, rather than food supply. As population increases, division of labor and production scale increase, allowing more efficient use of factors and higher per capita income, up to the point of optimum population.

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453 views8 pages

What Is Optimal Population?

The optimal theory of population proposes that there is an optimum population size that allows for the highest per capita economic return through full utilization of available resources. A population below this optimum results in underutilization of resources and lower per capita output, while a population above optimum leads to diminishing returns. The theory focuses on the relationship between population size and total wealth production, rather than food supply. As population increases, division of labor and production scale increase, allowing more efficient use of factors and higher per capita income, up to the point of optimum population.

Uploaded by

Jam & Julia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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  • What is Optimal Population?
  • Optimum Population Explanation
  • Explanation Of Optimum Theory Of Population
  • Question of population quality?
  • Quality of population

What is Optimal Population?

Optimum Population
It is the number of people that will produce the highest
per capita economic return given the resources available,
and their full utilization. Should the population rise or
fall from the optimum the output per capita, and standard
of living, will fall.
A country is said to be under populated if it has
insufficient people to make full use of the resources
available. On the other hand a country is overpopulated
if there are too many people and few resources. There
will be diminishing returns.
In other words, Increase or decrease in population should be compared with
the total production (production of wealth) and its equitable distribution.
Thus modern economists gave a new theory which is popularly known as
“Optimum Theory Of Population.”

The optimum theory of population was propounded by Edwin Cannan in his


book Wealth published in 1942.

The optimum theory of population does not establish relationship b/w


population growth and food supply. Rather, it is concerned with the relation
b/w the size of population and production of wealth.
Explanation Of Optimum Theory Of Population
Working population increases or decreases with change in population. If there
is less population in a country, the wonting capital will also be less, and the
factors of production are not properly employed, thus per capita income will
also be low.
As the population increases, division of labor will increase, production will be
done at large scale, factors of production will be utilized efficiently and per
capita income will increase.
1. Optimum theory of population is closely related to Law of
returns, it is based on Law of variable proportions and Law of
diminishing returns.
2. Population less than optimum is considered as under population
and more than optimum is considered as over population.
Question of population quality?
Quality of population
Population quality is the overall level of certain desirable traits in a specific population.
The members of a population do not contribute equally to the size of the next generation.
The distribution of births, especially in low-fertility populations, varies markedly across
the adult members. Because the data seem to show family resemblances across
generations, the question arises whether their overall level is going up or down as a result
of this unequal distribution of births.
A commonly discussed method of increasing the frequency of those with the good traits
and decreasing the frequency of those without them is eugenics. Eugenic methods are
applicable when the trait in question is inherited in some fashion, and many of those
traits seem to be.

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