The missions of INED are defined by article 3 of decree no. 86-382 dated 12 March 1986.
Article 1.- INED undertakes, develops and encourages, on its own initiative or at the request of the government, all forms of research on population issues;
Article 2.- It evaluates, conducts or commissions all relevant research into population issues and all research contributing to the economic, social and cultural development of the country;
Article 3.- It collects research data, centralizes and develops all research in France or abroad relevant to its field of activity, and keeps the government and public authorities informed of all knowledge acquired;
Article 4.- It contributes to training in research and through research in its different areas of expertise;
Article 5.- It informs the public about demographic issues;
Article 6.- It disseminates French demographic research internationally and develops demographic information while promoting the use of the French language.