Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

We study the structure and dynamics of populations and explore issues of political relevance, such as aging, fertility, and the redistribution of work over the life course, as well as digitization and the use of new data sources for the estimation of migration flows.

News | September 02, 2026

Worried About the Environment, but Still Becoming Parents

Strong environmental concerns generally did not keep young people from becoming parents. These worries tended to fade with age among parents and non-parents alike. Whether today’s younger generations will follow the same pattern remains an open question. More

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Preparatory courses at the MPIDR

European Doctoral School of Demography (EDSD)

The European Doctoral School of Demography is an eleven-month sponsored program that is offered every year aiming to provide students with an appropriate high-level education in demography to pursue their doctoral studies. Students will acquire a solid knowledge base on the causes and consequences of demographic change, population data, statistical and mathematical demography, as well as modeling, simulation, and forecasting. More

All Events

IDEM 187 - Call for Application

Topics in Digital and Computational Demography

30 years MPIDR

Invitation: The Challenge of Demographic Change – How Our Society Is Changing

Introduction to our research groups

Fertility and Well-Being

Press Release | August 05, 2026

Fewer Heart Attacks, More Cancer Cases, and Better Survival Chances

Heart attacks, strokes, and hip fractures are becoming less common. Meanwhile, cancer cases are increasing, and more people are surviving these severe diseases. A new study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) and the Karolinska Institute examines how medical progress has impacted various diseases in Sweden. More

Selected Publications

Myrskylä, M.; Hellstrand, J.; Lappo, S.; Lorenti, A.; Nisén, J.; Rao, Z.; Tikanmäki, H.:

Declining fertility, human capital investment, and economic sustainability Demography 62:2, 489–514. (2025)

Gueltzow, M.; Lahtinen, H.; Bijlsma, M. J.; Myrskylä, M.; Martikainen, P.:

Genetic propensity to depression and the role of partnership status Social Science and Medicine 351:116992, 1–8. (2024)

More Publications