Optimum population
Topic: World Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Migration · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Optimum population is the population size at which output per person is highest, given a region's resources and technology. If there are fewer people than this, resources are not fully used. This is called underpopulation. If there are more people, output per person falls. This is called overpopulation. The optimum is not fixed, because better technology lets the same land support more people well.
Example
The Green Revolution in Punjab, in north-western India, brought better seeds, irrigation and fertilisers. It raised the number of people the region's farmland could feed well. In effect, it pushed the optimum population upwards.
Don't confuse with
- Population density: Density only counts people per sq km. A crowded area is not automatically overpopulated. That depends on how many people its resources and technology can support.