Countries are often classified by their "population growth rates". Interestingly, what seems to be an underlying correlation — and perhaps cause — is its connection to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and general wealth. At first glance, third world countries seem to have the most rapidly growing populations, while their wealthier counterparts generally experience demographic crises and increased immigration. Yet it is true that the world as a whole is becoming more and more overpopulated. Why is it that different countries are so differently affected, and what does wealth have to do with it? It is easy to just accept these rates as factual numbers, but it seems important for one to ask the question of “why”.

Of course, overpopulation wasn't always an issue historically. In fact, underpopulation was what concerned most nations for centuries; it seems the habits that formed to avoid underpopulation persevered and are partially responsible for today's issue of overpopulation. When life expectancy was barely crossing 30 years and limited food production forced most people to starve or ration, families were afraid of their children dying before they reached their teenage years. For some of these families, having children was important because they wanted to continue their lineage. For others, children were a way to contribute to the family's well-being and take care of their retired parents in the future. These families believed that having many children would help them overcome the obstacles of limited access to medication or food scarcity. These tendencies continue today in third world countries. The very basic human needs of hunger, health, and safety force families into following the footsteps of the past; except that now, quality of food, water, and medicine often ensure higher life expectancies, at least compared to the past, subsequently setting a nation onto a track towards overpopulation.

On the contrary, in developing and first world countries, there is significantly less need to worry about shortage of food or inadequate safety. But there are desires to be educated, progressive, or professionally ambitious. In these cases, people tend to have fewer children. While there are many reasons for this, the most important is the need to take "responsibility for the life of a new human"— young adults understand the pressure of raising a child. Some adults cannot imagine themselves as "good enough" parents, some simply do not wish to "limit themselves" in their professional ambitions, and some would prefer to focus on their own lives fully. It is also worth mentioning that numerous medical procedures and contraceptive options are available for preventing unwanted pregnancies — this is not always the case in developing countries.

But then, it seems contradictory that countries like China, home to the largest population on Earth, has quantitatively fairly low population growth rates. One might ask: “When the countries with the highest populations are not growing exponentially in population, is overpopulation really an issue?” Historically, the regions in which these countries reside now used to be the most hospitable ones on Earth. The early civilizations that formed there had the time, conditions, and resources to grow into large nations that today are tasked with overcoming overpopulation. This is what third world countries are effectively experiencing now, except they do not have as much time nor sufficient resources. On a more modern note, the issue of overpopulation is fueled by the imbalance between a development in technologies and education and the uneven distribution of it.

Perhaps after analyzing these cases, we can understand that what we are suffering from as humanity is the direct result of us neglecting and ignoring issues in our society. Indulged in national goals and ideologies we forget about the overall benefit and the bigger picture. Sure, a lot of efforts are being made everyday to provide resources and healthcare to struggling countries, but no attempts are really made to address the root of the problem — uneven distribution of all resources. Most wealthy countries have their histories tainted with imperial and colonizing ambitions, allowing them to increase their wealth and consequently develop in every other sphere rapidly, leaving their victims with empty pockets. We see these same countries today preach about the importance of charity and unified efforts; wealthier nations give fish to the poor but never really teach them to fish themselves. They speak of providing education and opening international schools in third world countries so that the children can have opportunities abroad, yet at the same time harshen their immigration policies and keep most investments domestic.

As a whole, we cannot keep viewing overpopulation as an issue simply because we are not able to keep up food production levels with its growth. Making investments into third world countries, hiring and training local residents, providing education to their children could be a good start to addressing the root of the problem. Perhaps, in an ideal world full of forgiveness and mercy, this could work. But for today, keeping the poor in poverty is what keeps the wealthy rich. Overpopulation seems to be yet another challenge we encounter due to our own greed.