Thomas Robert Malthus
(1766-1834) in An Essay on the Principle of Population[1], published in 1798,
stated that every twenty-five years the population grows according to a
geometrical ratio (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 ... ), while the amount of
food available grows according to an arithmetical ratio (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9 ...); therefore, while the population doubles, food resources show a much
more modest increase. Consequently, Malthus predicted that in the year 2000,
the proportion between population and food resources would be 4,096 to 13 and
food resources would not be sufficient for the needs of the population.
The Vital Needs Theory - page 75
[1] Malthus T.R. 1798, An Essay on the principle of population as it
affects the future improvement of society, Reprint, London: Reeves and
Turner, 1878.