Population growth poses a threat to global health because it

• A. It reduces ecological footprint.
• B. It creates pressure on healthcare delivery systems, environmental infrastructure, and economic resources.
• C. It simplifies disease surveillance.
• D. It reduces demand for resources.

Answer: (B)

Testing how a growing population places demand on health systems and the resources that support them. When more people are present, the demand for healthcare services—clinics, hospitals, medicines, and a trained workforce—rises. At the same time, essential environmental infrastructure like clean water, sanitation, housing, and energy faces greater strain, which can affect disease prevention and overall well-being. Economic resources such as funding, supplies, and nutrition are also stretched thinner, making it harder to maintain quality care and invest in public health initiatives. All of this together can lead to reduced access, longer wait times, and potential declines in health outcomes.

That broader impact is why the idea that population growth creates pressure on health delivery, environmental infrastructure, and economic resources best explains why it poses a threat to global health. In contrast, ecological footprint tends to increase rather than decrease with more people, disease surveillance becomes more complex rather than simpler, and demand for resources rises rather than falls.