Hardly can anyone deny that the impacts of overpopulation have been a topic of interest in the 21st century. Some people say that the increase in the number of people is scribed to worldwide problems, while another school of thought holds that the rising population is essential because of its economic and social effects. This essay will elaborate on two sides, followed by reasons why I am in favor of the former.
To begin with, there are two compelling benefits of overpopulation, one of which is the expansion of the workforce. In other words, the more people are born, the more workers are available for markets. This could attract the investment of foreign companies into a country regardless of the academic levels of those workers, which boosts the national economy. For example, if it were not for densely populated cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Samsung would not build factories in Vietnam, which significantly contributes to Vietnamese GPD annually. Secondly, in terms of society, overpopulation may be a driving force behind urbanization and migration, leading to cultural diversity. A case can be seen in Ho Chi Minh City in which a large number of residents are living. Those people are not just Vietnamese but can also be foreigners whose nationality may vary from other eastern nations like China, and India to Western ones such as the USA. This results in the cultural interference in the city.
In contrast, although I quite agree with the listed advantages, I reckon that the cons of overpopulation outweigh its pros. Speaking of economic health, a larger workforce is indeed a driving force for the investment of foreign firms, but those companies only need a limited number of workers to fill up their vacancies. Therefore, if the number of working-aged people in a country exceeds the companies’ demands for human resources, there will eventually be rising unemployment. Despite the fact that Ho Chi Minh City is invested by many international corporations like Samsung, a large number of residents are still jobless. Regarding social issues, the housing crisis is one of the major problems that stem from overpopulation. It is the significant increase in population density that causes the increasing demand for housing, leading to hiking prices of houses which, perhaps, are out of many middle-class people’s reach. A house in Ho Chi Minh City is so expensive that a white-collar worker has to work and save for more than 20 years to buy the house. This has been a social exclusion in Vietnam for many years.
In conclusion, although overpopulation can lead to more foreign investments and cultural diversity, I believe that its drawbacks such as unemployment and housing shortage overshadow its mentioned benefits.