Bayesian Demography

Abstract

Demography – the scientific study of populations – has had a long relationship with statistical methods. In particular, the last 30 years have witnessed an increasing number of applications of Bayesian statistics. At present, the main areas of interest of Bayesian demography include population forecasting, dealing with inadequate data, and small area estimation, with a few studies on demographic impacts. However, the current gaps in demographic literature, including a lack of theoretical foundations, challenges related to the management of different sources of uncertainty, and the use of new sources of data are also well suited for applications of Bayesian methods. This is where we predict that the next developments will be concentrated, especially if the current challenges, such as those related to computations, can be overcome.