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.
PHD | August 06, 2026
Congratulations, Athina Anastasiadou!
Athina Anastasiadou from the Laboratory of Migration and Mobility at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), successfully defended her doctoral thesis, “The Second Migrant: The role of gender in demographic theories, methods, and data for migration research“, at University of Groningen. The thesis was awarded “cum laude”. In the Netherlands, this is a rare distinction that is awarded in roughly 5% of the cases. More
August
18
–
19
Workshop
Second International Workshop on Life Course Analysis
This workshop invites researchers to present and discuss recent developments in life course analysis . This includes theoretical perspectives on the life course; methodological innovations in quantitative and qualitative methods; and empirical applications of the life course approach from across the social sciences and beyond, including studies on labor markets, health, families, and migration. More
All Events
New Issue 2/2026 available | June 30, 2026
The Quarterly German Newsletter
Research Visit
Population and Social Data Science Summer Incubator Program 2026
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
Schubert, H.-A.; Dudel, C.; Kolobova, M.; Myrskylä, M.:
Revisiting the J-shape: human development and fertility in the United States Demography 61:6, 1949–1973. (2024)
Andrade Santacruz, J. C.; Camarda, C. G.; Pifarré i Arolas, H.:
Cohort mortality forecasts indicate signs of deceleration in life expectancy gains Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 122:35, e2519179122–e2519179122. (2025)
More Publications
Recommended Readings | April 02, 2026
Family Complexity Influences Health in Mid-Adulthood
Jobs & Fellowships
Questions and Answers
Being a Researcher at the MPIDR
Working at MPIDR
Life & Research in Rostock
MPIDR
Online Databases
A peer-reviewed, open-access journal of population sciences
Press Release | April 23, 2026
Men Have Fewer Children Than Women
Doctoral Program
International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science
Publication | July 30, 2026
Individual-Level Mortality Predictions: Statistical Models vs. Machine Learning
Researchers investigated whether traditional statistical and machine learning models could achieve a similarly high level of accuracy in predicting individual-level lifespan. Overall, the results show that machine learning does not significantly improve mortality predictions compared to conventional methods. More