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The MIG research group focuses on applying advanced data collection and estimation methods to quantify and better understand the trends, patterns, drivers, and consequences of different types of migration considering its interactions with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
Migration is a key demographic component underlying population change. As a multifaceted process, it is influenced by various factors such as economic opportunities, social and political drivers, environmental changes, and conflicts. Due to its high volatility and complexity, migration is difficult to assess and forecast, thus requiring a combination of data sources and methods. The MIG research group employs innovative approaches to provide comprehensive estimates of internal and international migration and its underlying factors at global, national, and sub-national levels. A particular focus of the research group is exploring how climatic changes and environmental factors directly and indirectly influence migration, and how these effects differ across geographical locations and population subgroups. In addition, the research group offers valuable insights into the interconnections between sustainability, human development, and well-being, highlighting their relevance for migration processes worldwide.
Publications
Gräser, M., Grimm, C., & Hoffmann, R. (2026). Humor for health: a randomized controlled trial of clown visits in Palestinian hospitals. World Development 200 e107263. 10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107263.
Kummu, M., Niva, V., Chrisendo, D., Rocha, J.C., Hoffmann, R., Sandström, V., Solt, F., & Masoumzadeh Sayyar, S. (2025). Global subnational Gini coefficient (income inequality) and gross national income (GNI) per capita PPP datasets for 1990-2023 V3. 10.5281/zenodo.16410778.
Chrisendo, D., Niva, V., Hoffmann, R., Masoumzadeh Sayyar, S., Rocha, J., Sandström, V., Solt, F., & Kummu, M. (2025). Rising income inequality across half of global population and socioecological implications. Nature Sustainability 10.1038/s41893-025-01689-4.
Marois, G. , Potančoková, M. , Bezat, A., & Crespo Cuaresma, J. (2026). Projecting Labour Market Imbalances and Skill Mismatch Under Demographic Change in the EU. European Journal of Population 42 e4. 10.1007/s10680-025-09758-2.
Mosello, B., Viehoff, A., Hoffmann, R., Farnleitner, E., & Zens, G. (2025). Linkages between climate change, human mobility and security in South-Eastern Europe. Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) , Vienna, Austria.
Tiggeloven, T., Pfeiffer, S., Matanó, A., van den Homberg, M., Thalheimer, L. , Reichstein, M., & Torresan, S. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence for early warning systems: Status, applicability, guardrails, and ways forward. iScience 28 (11) e113689. 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113689.
Models, tools, datasets
Wittgenstein Centre Human Capital Data & Graphic Explorer Version 3.0 (WCDE)
Global Annual Migration Data Explorer
Projects
Climate Change and Human (Im)Mobility: The Role of Compound and Cascading Risks (2C-RISK)
Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Migration to and Within Europe (CCMIG-EU)
Strengthening the Evidence-Based Understanding of the Climate Change, Human Mobility, and Security Nexus in South-Eastern Europe (ClimMigSEE)
Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES)
Staff
Andrea Vismara
Guest Researcher (MIG)
Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi
Senior Research Scholar (MIG)
Kirtika Kandel
Research Assistant (SYRR, MIG)
Dilek Yildiz
Research Scholar (MDM, MIG)
News
10 June 2026
Annual global migration has nearly tripled since 2000
Global migration has risen sharply from approximately 13 million people per year in 2000 to around 35 million people per year in 2023. This is according to a new dataset on human migration published in Nature by researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), IIASA, and the University of Hong Kong.
02 June 2026
Climate-driven drought linked to rising violence among adolescents in Southern Africa
New research from IIASA and the University of Oxford provides the first quantitative evidence that drought exposure over the last 12 months is associated with increased risk of sexual, emotional, and physical violence among adolescents in Southern Africa. This risk rises substantially during cumulative droughts over two years.
17 April 2026
IIASA and OSCE explore collaboration on emerging technologies and security challenges
Earlier this week, IIASA welcomed a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on advancing collaboration at the intersection of science, policy, and emerging technologies.
Events
Carcavelos – Portugal
World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (WCERE)
Bologna, Italy
European Population Conference 2026
University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
IIASA at the Austrian Climate Day 2026
Focus
05 August 2026
When Uganda’s refugee policy meets children’s everyday lives
What does integration mean for a refugee child? Manya Oriel Kagan reflects on the research behind her new book, Schooling Experiences of Refugee Children in Uganda: Rethinking Integration Policies. Drawing on months of research in schools and communities in Kampala, Uganda, she explores how children's everyday experiences reveal both the possibilities and the limits of one of the world's most progressive refugee policies.
Annual Report 2025
Annual Report 2025: Population and Just Societies Program Highlights
How can societies adapt to profound demographic, environmental, and social change while ensuring that no one is left behind? In 2025, the Population and Just Societies Program generated new evidence on aging, migration, labor markets, climate vulnerability, and the policies needed to build more inclusive and resilient societies.