In Civilization 7, population growth is the foundation of building an empire. A large population means more workers, increased resource yield, and expanded map control. The key to increasing population is food production, as food is the primary resource that fosters settlement growth.

Without a strong food economy, your cities will decline, slowing down the expansion of your empire and weakening the overall strategy. By optimizing food production with the right leaders, civilizations, improved tiles, buildings, and policies, you can create a large population that will fuel all other aspects of your civilization.

How Population Growth Works in Civilization 7. How Food Affects Population Growth

Each settlement starts with one unit of population, and its growth occurs through growth moments—defined thresholds reached after accumulating a certain amount of food. Unlike previous games in the Civilization series, residents do not consume food directly. Instead, the total food yield in a settlement contributes to reaching the next growth moment, granting an additional unit of population.

The larger the population, the more controlled tiles, higher production, science, and happiness yield, and the ability to develop specialized districts. You can track the growth progress of your city by checking the number next to its name. The number in the circle indicates the current population, while the number below it shows how many turns remain until the next growth moment.

To maximize growth speed, it is necessary to increase food yield each turn by using adjacent tiles, buildings, and policies that promote the development of the food economy.

Best Leaders for Population Growth in Civilization 7

Choosing the right leader at the beginning of the game can significantly accelerate your population growth. Some leaders provide a direct bonus to food or growth, while others offer bonuses from adjacent tiles that help obtain more food.

• Confucius: Provides +25% to city growth and +2 science for all specialists, making him one of the best leaders for rapid expansion.
  
  
• Pachacuti: Grants +1 to food for tiles adjacent to mountains and allows specialists on mountain tiles to avoid happiness penalties. An ideal choice for civilizations built in mountainous regions.
  
  
• Ashoka, the Renouncer: Gives +1 food in cities for every 5 extra units of happiness and +10% to food across the empire during celebrations. A great choice for empires focusing on culture and happiness.

Best Civilizations for Growth

Each era in Civilization 7 allows you to choose a new civilization, and some of them have significant advantages in food production and population growth. Combining a growth-oriented leader with a civilization specializing in food can significantly speed up settlement expansion.

• Han (Antiquity): Receives an additional unit of population in each city and settlement during the first growth moment, significantly accelerating early development.
  
  
• Inca (Age of Exploration): Unlock the Terrace Farm (+6 food) and receive the Turacun Policy, which gives +15% food in settlements near mountains.
  
  
• Qin (Modern Era): Can adopt a policy that gives +25% growth in all settlements that have at least one resource.

These civilizations have powerful bonuses that help develop cities faster, especially with proper tile and infrastructure management.

Maximizing Food Production in Civilization 7

Food is mainly produced from tiles, resources, buildings, and policies. Expanding to high-yield tiles and developing infrastructure around them ensures steady population growth.

Expanding to Fertile Tiles

When choosing settlement locations and new tiles, prioritize those that produce a large amount of food. Use the yield display mode (above the minimap) to see which tiles provide the most food. The best options:

1. Farms (enhanced by agriculture) — best placed on meadows and plains.

2. Fishing Boats (enhanced by navigation) — essential for coastal cities.

3. Pastures and Plantations (enhanced by irrigation) — great for cities with livestock.

If a tile provides 4x food or more, its yield is displayed with a large green food icon with a number inside.

You can also change the town's focus to farming or fishing, then food will flow to neighboring cities, allowing them to increase their population. However, the town itself will lose growth. It's better to do this when it already has a considerable population.

Using Food Resources

Resources also provide valuable food bonuses. The best food resources by eras:

Technology Development
Certain technologies and institutions unlock buildings and policies that improve food production, leading to population growth in Civ 7. Early in the game, prioritize the following technologies: agriculture, animal husbandry, irrigation, mastery in navigation.

Some social institutions also provide bonuses to population growth, especially when combined with policies: 

Clan Networks (Mystical Mastery): Add +2 food in each settlement.

Casts (Citizenship): Increase food yield in cities by 25%.

Building Food Structures

Buildings play an important role in food production. Some key structures:

• Granary (Antiquity): The first building to increase food supplies.
• Baths (Antiquity): Unlocked with Currency, add food and happiness.
• Garden (Antiquity): Unlocked with Irrigation, significantly increases yield.
• Fishing Dock (Age of Exploration): Improves fishing yield.

These buildings receive adjacency bonuses, so place them next to farms, pastures, or fishing boats for maximum effect.

There are also Pantheons that provide early bonuses, and the Goddess of the Harvest is particularly useful for growth, granting +1 food for farms, pastures, and plantations in settlements with an altar.

Knowing which gameplay elements affect population growth will make it easier for you to focus on what to do to achieve your goal.