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The Division was established in 1946 to serve as the secretariat of the Population Commission. Over the years, it has contributed to, and supported, the global dialogue on population and development at the United Nations, producing regularly updated demographic estimates and projections for all countries as well as providing data which are essential for monitoring the status of implementation of internationally agreed development goals in the area of population, including those contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Division leads and contributes to the substantive preparations and organization of major United Nations conferences and summits in the field of population and development, serves as the secretariat for the Commission on Population and Development and supports relevant intergovernmental processes in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.

The Division prepares population estimates and projections as well as estimates of the international migrant stock for all countries in the world on a regular basis. The Division studies population dynamics, analyzes global demographic trends and monitors population policies. The analytical studies of the Division – on fertility and family planning, marriage and unions, adolescents and youth, population ageing, mortality, international migration, urbanization, household size and composition, population size and structure and population policies – are widely used by Member States, the research community, the private sector and the public at large.

The Division participates in various interagency coordination mechanisms, including the United Nations Network on Migration and the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The Division carries out capacity building activities related to its substantive work.