Demography and Democracy (27 - 28 October, 2025)
German version
This year, the Berlin Demography Days are focusing on the topic of ‘Demography and Democracy’. The key question of this year's event is: What impact do demographic changes have on democracy? Following on from this, concrete options for action will be developed to strengthen democratic resilience at local, regional, national and international level.
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- How can anti-democratic resentment be counteracted from a demographic policy perspective?
- What challenges does our democratic society face in times of demographic change?
- How can transdisciplinary solutions be developed?
Date: Monday, 27 October 2025 + Tuesday, 28 October (International Day)
Location: Wissenschaftsforum, Markgrafenstraße 37, 10117 Berlin.
27 October at WissenschaftsForum and online
17.30 – 18.00 – Registration
18.00 – 18.15 – Welcome
18.15 – 18.30 – Ceremony of the European Demographer Award 2024
18.30 – 20.00 – Panel Discussion
20.00 – 21.00 – Reception
21.00 – Conclusion
Recipients of the European Demographer Award 2024:
Éva Beaujouan, Full Professor at the Department of Demography at the University of Vienna
Cosmo Strozza, Assistant Professor at the Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
Julia Hellstrand, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Helsinki Institute for Demography and Population Health at the University of Helsinki
Panel discussion with:
Petra Bahr, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
C. Katharina Spieß, Director of the Federal Institute for Population Research
Shalini Randeria, President of the Central European University
Jasmin Arbabian-Vogel, Entrepreneur in the care sector and former President of the Association of German Women Entrepreneurs
Moderation: Shelly Kupferberg
28 October (online)
13.15 – 13.20 – Welcome Address
13.20 – 14.20 – Global Talent, Local Gaps: Skill Migration and Territorial Divides
- Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo Municipality & Member of the European Committee of the Regions
- Parvati Raghuram, Professor of Geography and Migration, Open University
- Saaya Sorrells-Weatherford, Founder and CEO of Emigreat
14.20 – 14.35 – Break
14.35 – 15.35 – Rural but Plural? Migration and Belonging in Rural Areas
- Bettina Bock, Professor of Inclusive Rural Development, Wageningen University & Research
- Blanca Casares Guillén, Policy Expert, AEIDL – European Association for Innovation in Local Development
- Sebastian Polak-Rottmann, Senior Research Fellow, German Institute for Japanese Studies
15.35 – 15.50 – Break
15.50 – 16.50 – Who Belongs? Democracy in a Changing Demographic Landscape
- Lenka Dražanová, Research Fellow at the Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute
- Michèle Lamont, Professor of Sociology and European Studies, Harvard University
- Anna-Maija Mertens, Executive Director of the German Institute for Compliance and President of the European Movement Germany
- Michaela Moua, European Commission – EU Anti-Racism Coordinator
16.50 – 17.00 – Conclusions
Accompanying events
A number of accompanying events will take place in preparation for and after the Berlin Demography Days:
The Berlin Demography Days 2025 are jointly organised by Population Europe and the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). Other partners of the Berlin Demography Days are the German Association for Demography (DGD) and the We-ID (Identities - Migration - Democracy) Project funded by the EU.
The Berlin Demography Days 2025 are funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ).