IFPE is a nonprofit association, governed by statutes drawn up in English and French, and has a democratic structure. It is governed by the General Assembly, which normally convenes during each IFPE Congress. There is a Committee, consisting at present of 15 members from different countries, and four of these are executive officers of the Federation. Currently the President is Professor Glynn Harrison (Bristol) and the Secretary General is Professor Mian-Yoon Chong (Kaohsiung). 

The main activity of IFPE to date has been the promotion of international meetings. An international Congress is held every 2 - 3 years, each with a widely-based scientific programme committee and a local organizing group in the host country. The principal language of its scientific meetings is English, but a number of Congresses have been bilingual, with individual contributions in the language of the host country and simultaneous translation in the plenary sessions. In addition to these major meetings, the Federation is increasingly active in sponsoring or cosponsoring thematic symposia in different parts of the world, whether within large scientific conferences or independently of these (see Scientific Meetings). 

The Federation maintains friendly relations with other international bodies active in the field of psychiatric epidemiology - notably the WPA Section of Epidemiology and Public Health and the Association of European Psychiatrists (AEP) Section of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Psychiatry - as well as with the WHO Division of Mental Health.