Population Projections and Population Policies

Abstract

Population projections are a standard task of governments, local administrations, international agencies, the private sector, and research groups. Population projections are relevant for many aspects of public life and are especially important for population policies. This chapter lists the basic types of population projections, and discusses how to establish the base of population projections, to prepare the projections’ assumptions, and to process population projections themselves, mainly for a global setting. The chapter provides an overview of data producers, software solutions, and some recent results of global population projections. The main challenges to translating projection results into policies now and in the future are briefly discussed.