The evolutionary path of demography from the beginning to the emergence of agent-based modeling

Application of the agent-based modeling in analyzing population issues has attracted the attention of demographers, and the status of demography in deeper understanding of population trends has been improved. The aim of this paper is to review the evolutionary path of demography from the beginning to the emergence and usage of the agent-based modeling in population studies. The literature review revealed the inability of demographic paradigms in connecting the micro and macro levels as one of the main limitations in the analysis of complicated demographic issues. Today, the agent-based modeling is of particular importance among demographers due to development of mathematics and production of powerful software and processors. Policy making based on the agent-based modeling is an efficient approach with the ability to analyze the micro- and macro-level relationships, increaseing the likelihood of achieving the goals pursued by macro policies. By reviewing the evolution of different paradigms and expressing the need to use the agent-based modeling approach in the process of demographic analysis, this article reviews and introduces the position of the agent-based modeling with its strengths and weaknesses in comparison with other paradigms. Finally, some suggestions for using the agent-based modeling in the analysis of Iran's demographic issues are presented.