Want to know how to increase population growth in Civilization 6? Only one population unit is lost for every two population units gained in Civ 6, making population control essential for a growing and thriving city. While factors such as amenities and culture had some effect on growth in previous games, population growth in the newest edition of the Sid Meier strategy game is much more situation-specific, focusing on the specific needs of your developing city.
The increase population method you choose may determine how far you go in Civ 6, so consider your options carefully and cater your governing style and choices to the needs and goals of your civilization. Here’s everything you need to know about increasing population growth in Civilization 6.
How to increase population growth in Civilization 6
Select a city and press F to access the Manage Citizens icon to begin managing and growing your population in Civ 6. While your city’s population will increase and decrease as various factors – including housing, amenities, and resources – come into play, there are specific bonus tools you can use to increase population growth overall.
Food availability is key to population growth, so immediately begin working tiles with food resources, build farms, and construct any appropriate improvements like Granaries and Water Mills. Your city’s population will also scale according to its currently available housing capacity. Build housing whenever you have the spare production, and construct Buildings such as Granaries, Aqueducts, and Sewers to boost your population capacity.
As your city grows, consider the role played by various policies and civics. Many will influence your city’s growth needs, sometimes in specific ways. For example, Agrarianism provides an extra food bonus when your population is high, while the Feudal Contract civic boosts production when your citizens work a specific district tile. Choosing these and similar bonuses will increase your food production and population growth. You can also consider founding a religion and selecting beliefs that serve you well, including bonuses to housing for believers or population growth.
When choosing where to settle a new city, you’ll want to consider fertile areas with high natural fertility. This will increase the natural food output from that tile, which is helpful for sustaining your growing city. You’ll also want to consider access to rivers (to improve your water districts) or coastal tiles, so you can build ships and improve your trade routes.
The role of amenities in population growth is super simple – make sure you’re constructing Entertainment Complexes and Stadiums. These buildings simply increase your civ’s happiness level, which may not have seemed directly related to your city’s population but is integral to maximizing growth. High happiness equals growing civ, so you should work to obtain any and all amenities on offer through luxury resources, trade routes, and policy cards to skyrocket your population. Our Civilization 6 happiness policies guide further explains why happiness is so important to growth.
You’ll be able to tackle population growth on every platform where Civilization 6 is playable. Here’s where you can buy and play the game:
Getting your city as large as possible is an important aspect of Civ 6, especially if you’re pursuing power-play victory conditions. Think beyond your last mighty city and consider how to grow your population across your entire empire. Think about the resources you’ll need to sustain your expanding cities and manage your citizenry so that no single city falls behind.