Optimum Poulation

• Optimum population refers to the size of a population that produces the best results according to chosen end targets. These end targets could be largest per capita income, log term sustainability, efficient operation of democracy, preservation of personal freedom and preservation of biodiversity.
• According to W. C. Robinson, as the beauty of female has various perspective, the concept of optimum population has perspective difference among scholars. 
• According to J. Stamp, optimum population is one where carrying capacity of the land is equal to the demand of population.
• The optimum population is the one which leads to the highest quality of life where quality of life means adequate amount of food, energy, air of high quality. Thus this concept is fundamentally economic in nature. 
• It is also defined as the condition where potentiality of human creativity can be realised. In other words, Optimum population is the size which permits the highest per capita output & the one where the marginal productivity still exceeds the average productivity, and where the rate of growth to the total production is highest. 
• In simple terms, it is condition where neither resources are dormant nor over burden nor over exploited. A population which can be sustained without jeopardising the future.

Over-Population

• It is when the population size can't be served by the available resources. It is a deviation from the equilibrium stage or optimum population.
• There are two types of over population:
• 1. Absolute
     • Where living standards remains low even after attainment of absolute development of resources.
     • Eg. Bangladesh
  2. Relative
     • where the present level of production is inadiquate but greater production is feasible.
     • eg. India
• Over population means low quality of life, malnutrition, food crisis, lack of social security, etc.

Under-population

• Under population is usually defined as a state in which a country's population has declined too much to support the current economic system.
• Thus the term has nothing to do with the biological aspect of carrying capacity, but is an economic term to imply that the transfer payment schemes of some developed countries might fail once the population decline to a certain point.

Problems in Under-Population

1. Imbalance between town & country(village) is a major problem
2. Shortage of skilled labour

Population Problems

• "Population is not a problem by itself but no problem can't be solved without controlling it" - J. L. Nehru
• "Poverty breads population" - Indra Gandhi; "Development is the best contraceptive" - Karan Singh
• Population is burdensome if it is unskilled but if educated, trained & skillful, it becomes best of resources.
• Population is a problem if they are not employed in any economic sector or unproductive population is a problem.
• According to Ackerman, population problem must be analysed with respect to 3 variables.
• 1. Natural Resources
  2. Technology
  3. Population Size
• He divided 5 types of population resources ratio:

• 	Resources	Population	Technology
  US type	high	optimum	high
  Europe type	Low	high	high
  Brazilian type	high	low	low
  Egyptian type	low	high	low
  Arctic type	low	low	low

Population Problem of Developed Countries

1. High dependency ratio
2. Aging population
3. Low work force
4. Rural depopulation
5. Isolation
6. Nuclearisation of family
7. Low or negative population growth rate
8. The no. of old age females surpasses the male

Population problem for developing countries

1. Rapid growth of population
2. unemployment & underemployment
3. Poor standard of living & malnutrition
4. mismanagement of agriculture resources
5. Slow growth of Industrial sector
6. Orthodoxy