This course aims to provide essential demographic knowledge so that students are prepared to know the characteristics and dynamics of a population, encompassing a set of notions, techniques or tools for accurate demographic analysis.

The objectives of this course unit and the skills to be developed are as follows:

• Understand the theoretical and conceptual foundations of demography;
• Know the fundamental characteristics, content, usefulness and handling of the main systems of demographic information existing in Portugal;
• Know the main variables that characterize the state and behavior of a population, as well as some of their most important analysis or measurement techniques
• Explain the dynamics of population and identify current demographic challenges, particularly in the Portuguese situation.