Population & Citizens
Your population is the workforce of every colony on a map. More citizens mean more production — but only if they are fed, housed, and motivated. Open the population panel at your HQ to see how your people are doing.
What the panel shows
- Current population and housing cap — you cannot grow beyond available homes.
- Growth rate — how fast new citizens arrive when conditions are good.
- Will / mood — how satisfied your people are; low mood slows or stops growth and reduces production output.
- Civil transit coverage — once your population passes a threshold, you need active public transit lines (see Civil Harbor) or immigration pauses.
- Consumption — water, food, beer, plants, and energy your citizens use; shortages make them angry.
If growth is zero, the panel tells you why in plain language — no housing, full houses, missing transit, or angry citizens.
What citizens need
Think of it as running a city:
- Housing — build homes before you expect growth.
- Water and food — steady supply from production or trade.
- Energy — power keeps industry and morale up.
- Public transit — at higher population, a civil harbor and running liner routes are required for new arrivals.
Population never shrinks from neglect — but it stops growing until you fix the problem. Stabilize economy and supply before you chase distant wars.
Why it matters
Production buildings consume inputs at full rate, but output scales with workforce mood. A rich map with starving citizens underperforms a modest map with happy ones. Check the population panel whenever your economy feels “stuck.”