NIDI is the national demographic institute of the Netherlands. Founded in 1970 as a joint initiative of Dutch universities, it gained an independent status in 1987. In 2003, NIDI was affiliated to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Working ''at the heart of science'', the Academy''s mission is to promote scientific research in the Netherlands. Fundamental research carried out today will provide a basis for the applied research of tomorrow and, in turn, for the practical application of science in the future.

NIDI has a multidisciplinary staff of some 60 researchers and other professionals, including demographers, geographers, sociologists, economists, statisticians and historians. Fellows and students from the Netherlands and abroad visit the Institute on a regular basis and help carry out its programme. NIDI staff are organised into two research departments and one Support Services department. The support services include financial management and human resources, ICT, information and publications and secretarial services.

Changes in the growth, size and composition of the population in terms of age (''dejuvenation'' and ageing), household composition, ethnicity and geographical distribution are closely linked to social trends in a variety of domains, such as the economy, labour market, social security, education, welfare, housing, transport and infrastructure, as well as to socio-cultural trends such as individualisation and secularisation. These population trends, and the underlying dynamics of demographic change processes, such as birth, the formation and dissolution of relationships, internal and international migration, mobility and mortality, directly and indirectly affect a whole host of policy issues.

As a national demographic institute, NIDI studies population issues in their social context. To this end, the Institute is firmly rooted in science and society and draws inspiration from the interplay between demographic and related social issues.