Population is one of the many resources of Humankind.
It can be used to increase your Influence and to manage your production of things like Science, Food, Industry, or Money.
However, there is a system to how it works, and it might not be completely clear to all players at first. Population has limits of growth and demands specific things for it to happen.
Also, the Population of your City can leave depending on what is happening in your Empire or in Territories close to it.
Don’t worry; we are going to teach you how to increase Population in Humankind and how to keep it happy — or valuable, at least.
Why You Need Population
There is a lot to be talked about on how to gain Influence in Humankind, but the summary is: have many populous, stable Cities.
Influence can be used in many different ways, so that’s already a good reason for you to worry about your Population.
Population can also be used to partially control the influx of Science, Industry, Food, and Money in your City via the Specialist Slots. By doing that, you can allocate people in a way that suits your needs better.
Specialist Slots
Specialist Slots are the limited slots that show up in the superior part of your screen when you select a City.
Each new Population is assigned to a Specialist Slot, but players can change that based on their needs. Players just need to drag and drop each Population to the slot where they want them.
These are the four Slots:
- Farmers Slot: Food production. Grants +6 Food per farmer each turn.
- Workers Slot: Industry production. Grants +6 Industry per worker each turn.
- Traders Slot: Money production. Grants +6 Money per trader each turn.
- Researchers Slot: Science production. Grants +6 Science per Researcher each turn.
In addition to those standard slots, some cities might have extra slots due to special Districts, Infrastructures, or even Legacy Traits.
Humankind has many cultures, each with an exclusive Legacy Trait. Some of those traits might grant players a significant advantage on Population if that’s their tactic.
Increasing Your Population in Humankind
The resource Population is increased when a city is in a Population growth state, which is achieved by producing more Food than what is needed in a City or Outpost.
After the whole City is fed, the surplus of Food increases Population growth, which can lead to an increase in a City’s or Outpost’s Population.
Following the same logic, not producing enough Food might decrease your City’s Population, which can affect you negatively in many aspects, from generating Influence to producing other resources.
Please, note that there is a limit to which you can grow your Population. Generally, Cities have a Population limit that is based on the total of Specialist Slots. Outposts have a limit of four no matter what, though.
Growing your Population beyond the Outpost’s or City’s limit might also bring you issues since it will cause you to have a penalty of -30 Food per Population over the limit. Maintaining a big population is a lot of work. There is a delicate balance there to be maintained.
Final Thoughts
Although all you need to increase a City’s Population is more Food than what it needs, having way too many people in a City might be troubling too.
Players must find that balance and make sure that they have their Population in the best slots possible to suit their needs.
However, remember that Humankind is a turn-based game, so take your time making your moves. Check everything that is going on within your Empire and around its borders, then make a decision. With time, it will become second nature.
