The institute conducts basic research, analyses the causes, describes current trends and forecasts the evolution of demographic processes. It also identifies possible consequences for society. The institute's research extends beyond the traditional areas of demography, such as population structure, spatial population movements (migration), natural population movements (births, deaths), population development and distribution, and historical demography.
In addition, the institute maintains and manages a number of databases that are available free of charge to researchers worldwide. These include the Human Mortality Database, the Human Fertility Database and the Scholarly Migration Database.
“[…] The MPIDR’s interdisciplinary Research Group: Labor Demography analyzes how demographic change, the labor market, and economic and social factors interact in shaping the workforce of today and of the future. We study how demographic development affects the size and composition of the workforce; our research is informed by sociological and economic theory and uses demographic and statistical methods. We take a full life-course perspective, analyzing how the expansion of education has influenced entry into the labor force; how economic uncertainty, parental leave, and other sources of voluntary and involuntary inactivity during prime working ages influence labor-force participation at the population level; how unpaid work distributes across as well as affects the life course; and how changes in health at older ages, policy changes, and shifts in economic opportunities influence how long people remain in the workforce […].”
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"The Laboratory of Demographic Data is a world-leading team in the area of demographic data. Our flagship projects such as the Human Mortality Database (HMD) and the Human Fertility Database (HFD) are more than just highly cited data projects that have thousands of users around the globe. They define new standards for scientific databases in demography and stimulate advanced research in many areas beyond demography, including social epidemiology, actuarial science, family sociology, and social policy […]. Our Laboratory aims at providing data of the highest possible quality that are comparable across countries, well-documented, transparent, and easy-to-use […]. The Laboratory currently maintains and develops five international databases. All of them follow the principles of Open Data and can be freely used by the institute’s researchers and international scholars, students, policy-makers, and journalists worldwide […]."
Statistical Demography – Head of Laboratory: Jutta Gampe
“[...]The members of the Laboratory develop innovative statistical methods to address novel research questions. They advise fellow scientists in their analysis of data and provide software to facilitate the application of innovative techniques. […] Research topics include multistate models, the joint analysis of dependent longitudinal processes, the simultaneous consideration of several time scales in event-history models, and the correct handling of complex longitudinal observation schemes. Subsequent projections based on longitudinal models is another area of research. Researchers of the Laboratory also contribute to the educational programs the Institute is involved in (the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science; International Advanced Studies in Demography; and the European Doctoral School for Demography) and thus promote the use of up-to-date statistical methods in demographic research [...].”
Independent research groups
Kinship inequalities – Research Group Leader: Diego Alburez-Gutierrez
Excerpts from the departments' self-descriptions
[…] The Research Group on Kinship Inequalities, funded by the Max Planck Society, conducts research to advance the subfield of kinship demography, combining demographic modeling with empirical data analysis. The group studies how inequalities in kinship among persons and groups determine individual outcomes and ultimately shape the structure of human societies. […] The term “kinship inequalities” refers to differences in kin presence, availability, and resources for individuals. These disparities arise from a range of factors, including demographic dynamics, socioeconomic inequalities, and societal norms. […].
Gender Inequalities and Fertility – Research Group Leader: Nicole Hiekel
“The Research Group on Gender Inequalities and Fertility, funded by the Max Planck Society, systematically incorporates gender inequalities into the study of demographic processes underlying contemporary family complexity: union dissolution and repartnering, alternatives to marriage, births outside marriage and with consecutive partners, stepfamilies and other complex family structures. The research conducted in this group reveals how and under which conditions gender inequalities are produced and reproduced within individuals, couples and families and the social institutions in which they are embedded.”
Migration and Health Inequalities – Research Group Leader: Silvia Loi
“Despite having better health upon arrival, immigrants experience a more rapid health deterioration than non-immigrants. The immigrants’ health advantage is particularly strong upon their arrival due to selection processes, but tends to diminish as they age in the receiving societies. Nevertheless, the reasons why immigrants age in worse health remain poorly understood. […] Most research designs on immigrant health still tend to focus on the effects of single exposures on health outcomes, despite individual and population health risks arise from multiple sources across the life-course. The Research Group on Migration and Health Inequalities, provides new knowledge on how multiple structural social factors and their interactions influence inequalities between immigrants and non-immigrants during the life-course in the European context. […]”
Doctoral programs and research schools
The International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS) was established in 2018 as a three-year doctoral program combining demography, epidemiology, and data science. Around 15 three-year doctoral positions are awarded each year. The school's curriculum is designed for doctoral students who enter with a master's degree or equivalent qualification.
In cooperation with the University of Rostock and other European universities, the institute sponsored the International Max Planck Research School for Demography, which was a training program for doctoral students in demography. This program was replaced in 2012 by the 'International Advanced Studies in Demography' program.
Another initiative to promote young talent is the European Doctoral School of Demography, an eleven-month program created in 2005 in collaboration with twelve universities and five leading research institutes.
