The Population Cap is a statistic representing the hard limit on Colony 
Population.
Generation[ | ]
The 
Population Cap is almost entirely based on Improvements. The capital improvements provide a base value, which is primarily increased through the construction of cities, which requires 
Food.
NOTE: The maximum population of a Colony is hard-capped at the Planet Class size! Planet Class Size can only be increased by Terraform, or by the Chimeric Biomass artifact (a random tile), or other artifacts and events. Adding a City to increase the population cap past the Planet Class Size will have no effect on the Population Limit. Cities cannot be destroyed once built, so proceed accordingly.
With 
, the 
Artocarpus Viriles improvements increase the Population Cap.
Without , certain technologies provide a bonus to Population Cap.