Demographics of Poland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The demographics of Poland describe the make-up of the country of Poland. A number of censuses have assessed this data, including a national census in 2002, and a survey by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), which confirmed there are numerous autochthonous ethnic groups in Poland. Estimates by INTEREG and Eurominority present a similar demographics picture of Poland but they provide estimates only for the most numerous of the autochthonous ethnic groups.


Contents

[edit] Historical

For more details on this topic, see Historical demography of Poland.

[edit] Nationalities

96.7% of the people of Poland claim Polish nationality, and 97.8% declare that they speak Polish at home (Census 2002). The population of Poland became one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world as a result of the radically altered borders after World War II and the subsequent migrations. This homogeneity is a result of post-World War II deportations ordered by the Soviet authorities, who wished to remove the sizable Polish minorities from Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Other than the Poles, Poland is also inhabited by:

[edit] Armenians

Armenian population is estimated at between 8,000 to 15,000, with tradition since 14th century, when around 50,000 Armenians settled down in Poland.[citation needed] The remains of pre-war Armenian church organizations serve for the community. The Armenian-orthodox community converted to Catholicism in the 18th century. There is still an Armenian church in formerly Polish Lwow (now Lviv in Ukraine) with clergy that preach in the Armenian language. Through successive immigrations, the Armenians in Poland gradually formed a colony.

[edit] Belarusians

For more details on this topic, see Belarusian minority in Poland.

In the Polish census of 2002, 48,700 people declared they belong to this group.[1]

They live in close concentrations on south and east area of Białystok, near and in areas adjoining Belarus and Lithuania.

[edit] Czechs

According to the Polish census of 2002, 386 Czechs live in Poland,[1] many of them in Zelów or near the Czech border. Arguably, the most famous Pole with Czech roots is painter Jan Matejko.

[edit] Germans

For more details on this topic, see German minority in Poland.

Germans remain in Pomerania, Silesia, East Prussia and Lubusz Land. The current estimates based on the 2002 census gives 147 094 Germans living mainly in the region of Opole, Katowice and Częstochowa (south-west part of Poland).[1]

[edit] Greeks

Some 4 - 5,000 Greeks live in central and southeast Poland, most of whom came in 1949, after the Greek Civil War. It is estimated that after this conflict, some 14 000 Greeks came to Poland, settling mainly in the town of Zgorzelec in Lower Silesia. In the course of the time, most of them returned to their homeland or moved to Germany. Among famous Poles of Greek origin, are a popular pop singer Eleni Tzoka, drummer Milo Kurtis (who played in such bands as Maanam and Voo Voo), and guitar virtuoso Apostolis Anthimos from the legendary progressive rock band SBB.[citation needed]

[edit] Jews

For more details on this topic, see History of the Jews in Poland.

The Jewish community, once numbering 3,474,000, has been almost entirely eradicated, due to the Holocaust, in which the Nazis murdered most of the Jewish population of Poland during WW2, and subsequent forced emigration. If not for the Holocaust, they would probably constitute Poland's largest minority group (see History of the Jews in Poland). The current estimated Jewish population of Poland is about 1,000 (according to the 2002 census).[1] Its representatives live mainly in large cities like Warsaw, Wrocław, and Kraków. Many Polish Jews often avoid referring to themselves as members of a "national minority", as they consider Jews in Poland to be a religious and cultural minority, not an ethnic one.

[edit] Kashubians

INTEREG estimated there are up to 500,000 Kashubians in Poland.[citation needed] In the Polish census of 2002, however, only 5,100 people declared Kashubian nationality, although 51,000 declared Kashubian as their native language.[citation needed]

[edit] Lithuanians

For more details on this topic, see Lithuanian minority in Poland.

There are 5,639 Lithuanians in Poland, according to the 2002 census.[1] They live in close concentrations, in Suwałki in the north-east of Poland, and in the territory of Puńsk commune where they constitute 80% of inhabitants.

[edit] Macedonians

There are 4,000 to 5,000 Macedonians in central and southern Poland.[citation needed]


[edit] Roma

There are 12,731 Roma in Poland, according to the 2002 census.[1] They are dispersed and live on the area of the whole country, although their more numerous concentrations are in the south of Poland.

[edit] Russians

Russians are scattered around the territory of Poland but mostly reside in eastern Poland. There are 3244 Russians in Poland, according to the 2002 census.[1] The HFHR estimated around 13,000-15,000 Russians are in Poland.[citation needed] This society includes also Old Believers who are members of the Eastern Old Believers' Church and account for 2,000–3,000 persons living in the south-east of Poland.

[edit] Slovaks

Slovaks live in some areas in southern Poland, to the number of 1710 according to the Polish 2002 census.[1] Polish Slovaks inhabit two small frontier regions in the Spisz and Orawa (south of Poland, near Polish-Slovak border). Larger groups of Slovaks are in Kraków and Silesia region.

[edit] Tatars

Small populations of Polish Lipka Tatars still exist and still practice Islam. Some Polish towns, mainly in northeastern Poland (in Podlasie Voivodeship) have mosques. Tartars arrived as mercenary soldiers beginning in the late 1300s. The Tatar population reached approximately 100,000 in 1630 but the 2002 census showed only 447 people declaring this nationality.[1]

[edit] Ukrainians

For more details on this topic, see Ukrainian minority in Poland.

Ukrainians are scattered in various eastern and northern districts. In the Polish census of 2002 27,172 people declared they belong to this group.[1]

[edit] Additional

There are also groups of Americans, Hungarians, French, Italians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Georgians, Africans, Palestinians, Kurds and Vietnamese, who constitute small ethnic communities within major cities such as Warsaw, Kraków, and Gdańsk.

[edit] Declared nationality (Census 2002)

See also: Polish census of 2002

[edit] Statistical indicators

Demographics of Poland, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Demographics of Poland, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 38,116,000 (Dec 2007 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.05% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 10.20 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

There were 389,000 births in 2007 compared to 374,244 in 2006. [1]

Death rate: 9.90 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

There were 372,000 deaths in 2007 compared to 369,000 in 2006. [2]

Total immigration: +70,300 migrants (2006)

Total emigration: -322,200 migrants (2006)

Total net migration: -251,100 migrants (2006)

Net migration rate: -6.90 migrants/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Total asylum seekers admitted: 94,500 (2006)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.7%
15-64 years: 65.3%
65 years and over: 13.0% (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
male: 70.3 years
female: 78.8 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

  • TFR was 1.267 in 2006. [3]

Ethnic groups: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Byelorussian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other 0.7%, not declared 2.0% (Census 2002)

Religions: Roman Catholic 95% (baptized), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.3%, Greek Catholic 0.2% (2006)

Languages: Polish 97.8% (Census 2002)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.7% (2004 est.)

[edit] Urban demographics

   Agglomeration or conurbation  Voivodeship  Inhabitants
(Estimated, 2006)
1 Katowice (USIA) Silesia 2,784,200
2 Warsaw (Warszawa) Masovia 2,680,000
3 Kraków Lesser Poland 1,250,000
4 Łódź Łódź 1,100,000
5 Tricity Pomerania 1,100,000
6 Poznań Greater Poland 1,000,000
   City  Voivodeship  Inhabitants
May 20, 2002		 Inhabitants
December 31, 2004		 Inhabitants
December 31, 2006
1 Warsaw (Warszawa) Masovia 1,671,670 1,692,854 1,702,139
2 Łódź Łódź 789,318 774,004 760,251
3 Kraków Lesser Poland 758,544 757,430 756,267
4 Wrocław Lower Silesia 640,367 636,268 634,630
5 Poznań Greater Poland 578,886 570,778 564,951
6 Gdańsk Pomerania 461,334 459,072 456,658
7 Szczecin Western Pomerania 415,399 411,900 409,068
8 Bydgoszcz Kuyavia-Pomerania 373,804 368,235 363,468
9 Lublin Lublin 357,110 355,998 353,483
10 Katowice Silesia 327,222 319,904 314,500
11 Białystok Podlasie 291,383 292,150 294,830
12 Gdynia Pomerania 253,458 253,324 251,844
13 Częstochowa Silesia 251,436 248,032 245,030
14 Radom Masovia 229,699 227,613 225,810
15 Sosnowiec Silesia 232,622 228,192 245,030
16 Toruń Kuyavia-Pomerania 211,243 208,278 207,190
17 Kielce Świętokrzyskie 212,429 209,455 207,188
18 Gliwice Silesia 203,814 200,361 198,499
19 Zabrze Silesia 195,293 192,546 190,110
20 Bytom Silesia 193,546 189,535 186,540
21 Bielsko-Biała Silesia 178,028 176,987 176,453
22 Olsztyn Warmia-Masuria 173,102 174,550 174,941
23 Rzeszów Subcarpathia 160,376 159,020 165,578
24 Ruda Śląska Silesia 150,595 147,403 145,471
25 Rybnik Silesia 142,731 141,755 141,388
26 Tychy Silesia 132,816 131,547 130,492
27 Dąbrowa Górnicza Silesia 132,236 130,789 129,559
28 Opole Opole 129,946 128,864 127,602
29 Płock Masovia 128,361 127,841 127,224
30 Elbląg Warmia-Masuria 128,134 127,655 126,985
31 Gorzów Wielkopolski Lubusz 125,914 125,578 125,504
32 Wałbrzych Lower Silesia 130,268 127,566 124,988
33 Włocławek Kuyavia-Pomerania 121,229 120,369 119,256
34 Zielona Góra Lubusz 118,293 118,516 118,115
35 Tarnów Lesser Poland 119,913 118,267 116,967
36 Chorzów Silesia 117,430 115,241 113,978
37 Kalisz Greater Poland 109,498 108,792 108,477
38 Koszalin Western Pomerania 108,709 107,773 107,693
39 Legnica Lower Silesia 107,100 106,143 105,186
40 Grudziądz Kuyavia-Pomerania 99,943 98,757 99,244
41 Słupsk Pomerania 100,376 99,827 98,092

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j (Polish) Mniejszości narodowe i etniczne w Polsce on the pages of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. Retrieved on 9 September 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Demographics of Europe
Sovereign
states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories

Abkhazia 2 · Adjara1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Greenland7 · Guernsey · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kosovo · Isle of Man · Madeira8 · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · Northern Cyprus1 · Republika Srpska · South Ossetia 2 · Svalbard · Transnistria
Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Entirely in Southwest Asia.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Has part of its territory in Asia / North America / South America / Africa.  7 / 8 Entirely on the North American Plate / African Plate.