What did The English economist Thomas Malthus claim?

Thomas Malthus claimed that population growth tends to outpace food production, leading to inevitable shortages and famine. In his 1798 work "An Essay on the Principle of Population," he argued that while populations grow geometrically, food supplies increase arithmetically. Malthus believed this imbalance would result in checks on population growth, such as disease, famine, and war, ultimately leading to a struggle for survival. His ideas sparked significant debate and influenced later economic and social theories regarding population and resources.