Bridging the micro-macro gap in population forecasting

a study funded by the European Commission under the 6^th Framework Programme
"Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area"

In an ageing population, the demand for adequate health care services, pension systems and other social protection systems is paramount. The sustainability of high-quality health care and pension systems is influenced to a considerable extent by demographic change and by the way people live their lives (lifestyle and life course). Therefore, an adequate monitoring and forecasting of demographic change and of the lifestyle and life course of the population are a conditio sine qua non for the provision of health and social security to the people of Europe. This requires a methodology that moves beyond conventional projections of the population by age and sex. What is needed is a methodology that complements the demographic projections with projections of the way people live their lives. The objective of MicMac is to develop this methodology.

The project started on the 1st of May, 2005 and finished on 30 April 2009.