IIASA has collaborated with UNICEF to provide advanced data analysis and projections on demographic trends for the 2024 State of the World's Children Report.
The 2024 State of the World's Children Report looks ahead to the year 2050 and asks how we can best secure a future in which the rights of every child are realized—a world where all children survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.The report explores three major trends: demographic shifts, the climate crisis, and disruptive technologies. It highlights the need for societies, governments, and the international community to take action to ensure the best outcomes for children and to protect their rights.The report focuses on Africa, emphasizing that investments in children and youth are crucial for sustainable economic growth.
The IIASA POPJUS team, part of the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, including Roman Hoffmann, Nicholas Gailey, and Jonas Peisker, has explored, using scenarios and projections, how the world might look for children in 2050 through the lens of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). Their research examines key areas such as child survival and life expectancy, socioeconomic development, education, gender equality, conflict, urbanization, and the environment.
As we look to 2050, we face a choice. We can continue on our current path, risking a future where millions of children are left behind, or we can choose a different course – one where every child flourishes and shapes the world around them.
Now is the time to shape a better future for every child.
UNICEF, 2024
News
26 October 2026
Extreme weather drives support for green voting in Europe
A new study co-authored by IIASA researchers Jonas Peisker, Roman Hoffmann, and Raya Muttarak has found that extreme heatwaves are changing how Europeans feel about climate change and influencing their voting choices. The results highlight the demographic heterogeneity of the effects and could provide valuable insights for policymakers, communicators, and advocates aiming to enhance climate action legitimacy and engagement across diverse populations in the region.
24 September 2026
IIASA researcher joins Austrian Academy of Sciences working group on integrated carbon neutrality
On 15 September, Principal Research Scholar Thomas Schinko represented IIASA at a high-level event of the Commission on the De-Fossilization and Carbon Neutrality of the European Energy Systems (DEE) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW). The meeting denoted the kick-off workshop of the newly established DEE Working Group "Transsectoral and Transcontinental Integration”.
23 September 2026
Eco-Welfare Network Conference
Julia Beier participated in the first in-person Eco-Welfare Network Conference, held in Brussels from 9-11 September at the Université Libre de Bruxelles as part of the Transform-Labor project.