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Population Division
The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs conducts demographic research, supports intergovernmental processes at the United Nations in the area of population and development, and assists countries in developing their capacity to produce and analyse population data and information.
Commission on Population and Development
A Population Commission was established by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 3 (III) of 3 October 1946. In its resolution 49/128 of 19 December 1994, the General Assembly decided that the Commission should be renamed the Commission on Population and Development.
Expert consultation series on population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development
As part of the substantive preparations for the annual session of the Commission on Population and Development (13-17 April 2026), the Population Division of UN DESA will convene a series of expert consultations during October 2025 to discuss selected aspects of the special theme of the 59th session of the CPD: “Population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development”.
Highlights
New publications
Commission on Population and Development, fifty-eighth session: Ten key messages
Policy brief on the New Landscape of Fertility and Family Planning 30 Years After Cairo and Beijing
International Migrant Stock 2024: Key facts and figures (advance unedited version)
National Time Transfer Accounts Manual: Measuring and Analysing the Gendered Economy
International Migration and Sustainable Development
International Migration and Sustainable Development: Ten Key Messages
Expert group meeting on ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all at all ages
World Population Prospects 2024: Summary Report
World Population Prospects 2024: Ten Key Messages
World Population Prospects 2024: Methodology Report
Recent and upcoming events
Commission on Population and Development, fifty-ninth session, 13 - 17 April 2026
Population Division Activities at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025, 4 - 6 November 2025
Expert consultation series on population, technology and research in the context of sustainable development, 21-30 October 2025
World Population Day 2025, 11 July 2025
Commission on Population and Development, fifty-eighth session, 7 - 11 April 2025
International Migration and Sustainable Development, 18 December 2024 "Launch"
Briefing on the substantive preparations for the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on Population and Development, 12 December 2024
Expert group meeting on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, 16 - 17 October 2024
Launch: World Population Prospects 2024, 11 July 2024
Commission on Population and Development, fifty-seventh session, 29 April - 3 May 2024
India overtakes China as the world’s most populous country
Select key messages from the WPP2024
Themes
Adolescents and Youth
Globally, the number of adolescents and young people is at an all-time high. While the number of young people has been declining in the more developed regions since it peaked around 1980, it has been increasing in the less developed regions and is expected to continue to grow over the next few decades.
Ageing
https://sdgs.un.org/goalsWhen fertility begins to decline from elevated levels, the population distribution by age changes. Initially, the reduction in fertility leads to an increase in the relative size of the population at working ages, creating a favourable age distribution that may help to accelerate economic growth per capita, resulting in a “demographic dividend”.
Capacity Development
The Population Division builds and strengthens national capacities to estimate and analyse population levels and trends and other demographic indicators for formulating and implementing national policies and programmes related to population and development.
Family Planning
The Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development affirmed the basic right of couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so.
Fertility and Marriage
Continued high fertility in some countries and areas is the major driver of population growth, while in other countries and areas the decline of fertility to historically low levels propels changes in the age distribution, including the gradual ageing of the human population.
International Migration
It is widely recognized that migrants make a positive contribution to inclusive growth and sustainable development in countries of origin and destination.
Mortality
Reducing mortality, increasing life expectancy, and improving the health of populations are key objectives of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Population Policies
Well-designed government policies are critical for implementing the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Population Trends
Timely and accurate information about changes in the size and characteristics of a country’s population is needed by national governments, the United Nations, international organizations and civil society to formulate, implement and evaluate policies and programmes in almost all spheres of life.
Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the General Assembly in September 2015, provides an ambitious set of goals whose achievement will set humanity on a path towards sustainability.
Urbanization
The world is becoming increasingly urbanized. Today, more than half of the global population lives in urban areas, up from around one-third in 1950 and projected to increase to around two-thirds in 2050.