Thomas Robert Malthus FRS (/ ˈmælθəs /; 13/14 February 1766 – 29 December 1834) [1] was an English economist, cleric, and scholar influential in the fields of political economy and demography.

Malthus was an economic pessimist, viewing poverty as humanity’s inescapable lot. The argument in the first edition of his work on population is essentially abstract and analytic.

Apr 13, 2025 · Thomas Malthus was an 18th-century economist best known for his theories about population growth. Learn more about overpopulation and the Malthusian growth model.

Apr 7, 2025 · The Malthusian Theory of Population is a theory of exponential population growth and arithmetic food supply growth created by Thomas Robert Malthus.

Discover facts about Thomas Malthus who famously developed the theory of population growth.

Malthus was fascinated not with the inevitability of human demise, but with why humans do not die off in the face of such overwhelming odds. As an economist, he studied responses to incentives. Malthus …

Aug 22, 2025 · The English cleric and economist’s name is used to malign critics of progress. But historical context sheds a different light on Malthus’ ideas, a scholar argues.

Malthus is widely regarded as the founder of modern demography. He made the prediction that population would outrun food supply, leading to a decrease in food per person and so to widespread …

May 6, 2024 · Malthus proposed that human populations naturally grow exponentially while food production increases only linearly, creating an inevitable imbalance that leads to poverty, famine, and …

Jan 18, 2024 · Thomas Malthus, a figure synonymous with early economic thought, significantly influenced the field of population economics. His ideas, though controversial, laid the groundwork for …