Nowe tendencje w ruchu naturalnym ludności w Polsce

New tendencies in the population growth in Poland

Summary: The article presents the evolution of the natural growth in Poland. The starting point was the data from the 19th century. In that period the birth rate in Poland, as in entire Europe, was very high. Simultaneously the number of deaths gradually decreased. This resulted in the growth of the population number. A similar situation occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, when Polish population showed high demographic dynamics. The period of World War II brought high death rate, yet immediately after the war, high natality was observed, which fully compensated war losses. Further statistical analysis referred to the period between 1960 and 1990. In that time, another phase of the demographic cycle in Poland was noted. The beginning of 1990s was a turning point, marking the decrease in the population growth in Poland. As a result of further decrease in population growth, the birth rate equalled death rate in 1999. The article presents reasons for this evolution, which is related to the adopted new model of modern life featuring small number of children. In the further part of the article, a comparative analysis was conducted between Poland and other European countries, mainly Ukraine and France. It was shown that as a result of socio-economic changes related to the system transformation, Poland and most post-communist countries observed a decrease in birth rates, which led to processes of demographic depopulation. This will bring significant social and geopolitical consequences in the future.

Kortus B. (red.), 2001, Człowiek i Przestrzeń, IGiGP UJ, Kraków, ss. 228, s. 31-42.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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