Theories of Population Growth

Theories of population growth explore how and why human populations change over time. Two major theories are the **Malthusian theory**, proposed by Thomas Malthus, suggesting that populations grow faster than resources can supply, leading to famine and conflict, and the **Demographic Transition Model**, which observes that populations typically evolve through stages: high birth and death rates, followed by declines in death rates, and eventually lower birth rates as societies improve economically and socially. These theories help us understand challenges like resource management and environmental sustainability as global populations continue to rise.