The World Population Program (POP) addresses the human-development dimension of global change. It carries out comprehensive research into the changing size and composition of human populations around the world and analyzes their impacts and their effects on human vulnerability.
IIASA’s external Evaluation Committee assessed POP in 2014 as “the globally leading institution for demography and sustainability.”
POP is expanding demographic methods to make them more relevant for the analysis of contemporary global challenges. For example, it studies multidimensional population dynamics by age, sex, and level of education. It is redefining age and aging. It is also carrying out innovative analysis of demographic aspects of cognitive aging, labor-force participation, health, and vulnerability to environmental change.
In 2014 POP intensified its scientific collaboration with other IIASA programs, conducting cross-cutting projects consistent with the three global problem areas defined in IIASA’s strategic plan. POP regularly disseminates scientific results to policy- and decision makers.
