Founded in 1983, Institute of Population and Development of Nankai University is an academic research institution mainly focusing on teaching, scientific research and social services. It has set up three research offices, including the research offices for population, resource and environmental economics, sociology of population, and labor economics. The institute is affiliated to the Aging Development Strategies Research Center and the Human Capital Research Center at Nankai University, and Tianjin Human Resource Development Association. By September 2012, there were 9 full-time research fellows, including 5 professors, 2 associate professors and 2 lecturers. One of them was selected by the Ministry of Education to join the New Century Excellent Talents Support Program.

The institute has two second-level disciplines: population, resource and environmental economics, and labor economics. Its main research topics include the theory of demographic economics, demographic change and its relationship with economic development; the relationship between population, resource, environment and sustainable development; population policy; human migration and urbanization; human capital, labor market and employment, human resource development and management; marriage and family, society and gender, women and development issues; population aging and social security issues. By July 2012, the institute has trained over 60 doctors (including two foreign students) and over 280 masters.

The institute has made remarkable achievements in its research work and enjoys a high reputation in academia for the research on human capital and population aging. The teachers have presided over a number of key national research projects and won many awards, including the China Population Award. The institute has established close relations with relevant state ministries, such as the National Population and Family Planning Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, the China National Committee on Ageing, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Personnel, the All-China Women's Federation, and relevant government departments in Tianjin. The institute has also maintained frequent academic exchanges with many foreign academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.