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.

Press Release | September 28, 2026

Tracking Researchers in Ukraine Through War and Armed Conflict

A study based on publication data traces how researchers moved within Ukraine and across borders between 2009 and 2022, with conflict-affected regions losing scholars while others became increasingly important destinations. These shifts were already underway after Russia illegally annexed Crimea and fighting began in the Donbas in 2014, underscoring that scholarly mobility during conflict cannot simply be understood as a matter of free choice. More

September

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October

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

Perspectives

Blog@MPIDR

Recommended Readings | September 14, 2026

Comparison of Microsimulated and Register-based Kinship Data

Introduction to our research groups

Migration and Health Inequalities

New Publication | September 24, 2026

Student Migration to the UK set to Decline by 2030

British universities face a potential funding crisis by 2030, as the number of international undergraduate students—is expected to stagnate or decline. This is the conclusion of a new study by University College London (UCL), the University of Liverpool, and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). More

Selected Publications

Sobotka, T.; Zeman, K.; Jasilioniene, A.; Winkler-Dworak, M.; Brzozowska, Z.; Alustiza Galarza, A.; Németh, L.; Jdanov, D. A.:

Pandemic roller-coaster? Birth trends in higher-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic Population and Development Review 50:S1, 23–58. (2024)

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)

More Publications

Career

Open Positions

Anniversary

30 Years MPIDR in Rostock

Questions and Answers

Being a Researcher at the MPIDR

Working at MPIDR

Life & Research in Rostock

New Issue 2/2026 available | June 30, 2026

The Quarterly German Newsletter

A peer-reviewed, open-access journal of population sciences

MPIDR

Online Databases

Doctoral Program

International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science

News | September 22, 2026

When unemployment ripples across generations: Jobless children, worried parents

In India, parents of unemployed adult children face higher depression risk, especially in more unequal states, while strong social ties may offer some protection. More