| Abstract: The study of compact object populations has evolved from the first observational identification of white dwarfs, pulsars, and black hole candidates to the current era of large astronomical surveys. Today, more than 150 Galactic neutron stars and black holes with measured masses are known, complemented by over 180 compact object mergers detected through gravitational waves. With an increasingly detailed understanding of the diverse environments that host these objects and the physical processes governing their formation and evolution, we are now in a position to investigate the statistical properties of compact object populations and address long-standing open questions. In this talk, I will discuss how the current and upcoming generation of wide-area surveys is transforming our ability to uncover and characterise compact objects across the electromagnetic spectrum. In particular, I will highlight the role of the eROSITA all-sky X-ray survey in revealing accreting neutron stars and white dwarfs, and how systematic optical spectroscopic follow-ups. Further, I will also discuss the impact of time-domain surveys such as LSST in discovering compact objects through variability, transients, and the importance of deep multi-wavelength follow-up observations in building a coherent physical picture of these systems. By combining large, homogeneous survey datasets with targeted follow-up, we are entering a regime where population-level studies can be carried out with unprecedented statistical power. I will outline how these approaches allow us to build a unified view of compact object populations in the Milky Way and beyond.
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