Population

More General Planet Topics

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People, along with factories, create the resources you need to build your empire.

To see how many colonists it takes to produce one resource per year, use the View (Race) command and turn to page 5 of the View Race dialog.

Your maximum population is based on the Habitability Value displayed in the Selection Summary pane. For example, a planet with a value of 100% can support 1,000,000 people. A planet with a value of 50% can support only 500,000 people. As your population grows, you'll want to colonize new worlds to prevent your current worlds from overcrowding. Certain racial traits can increase or decrease the maximum planetary population.

Growth Rate

The Value also determines your population's annual growth rate on that planet. Left-click on the Value to display the annual growth rate, as well the total number of people the planet will support based on current environmental conditions. The growth rate is shown as "up to n%" because the rate slows as the population approaches the maximum.

Population growth begins to plateau after the planet reaches 25% capacity.

Maximum Population

A planet's maximum population number is also affected by racial traits. The population limit of races with the Hyper-Expansion primary trait is ½ that of other races -- a 100% planet would be limited to 500,000 people. Races which have the Only Basic Remote Mining lesser trait get a 10% increase in maximum population over other races -- a race with Only Basic Remote Mining and without the Hyper-Expansion primary racial trait can put 550,000 people on a 100% planet.

Only a planet's maximum population performs useful work. People in excess of the maximum population work at 50% efficiency.

All planets with a positive Value of less than 5% are treated as 5% planets for determining the maximum supportable population.

Overcrowding

Deaths from overcrowding reach a maximum of 12% at 400% capacity.

Killer Planets

Planets with negative habitability values kill colonists, at a percentage rate of Habitability Value / 10 percent of the colonists on the planet per year. For example, a planet with a value -10% inhabited by 2000 colonists will kill 1% or 20 colonists per year.

If you terraform the planet after colonizing, your people will begin to die (unless you have the Claim Adjuster primary trait).

Alternate Reality Races and Population

Since races based on the Alternate Reality primary trait live on starbases, they use a different population model. Read more about them.