Population is counted in two ways:
- Current population
is the number of residents in the player's city at the present moment. The current population is increased by collecting from residential buildings. - Population limit
(also called population capacity) is the maximum number of residents that can reside in the current game zone at the present moment. The population limit can be adjusted ±7% using the Tax Office at an inverse cost of ±15% of your TAX/VAT 
income from infrastructure buildings.
Benefits of Population[]
The current population 
gives players access to certain production buildings and also dictates the total number of production buildings that a player can have in that game zone.