The ethnic composition of the population of Poland. Poland: big ambitions and life on loan
The population of Poland in 2018 is 38.6 million people. Since the 1990s, Poland's population has declined due to several waves of emigration. But since the mid-2000s, after joining the European Union and a series of reforms aimed at expanding social programs, the outflow of the population from the country has decreased.
Today, there is a positive natural increase in the population, however, due to the still high level migration abroad, the number of Polish residents is increasing very slowly.
The average life expectancy for Poles is:
- 72 years - for men;
- 80 years for women.
These figures, which are quite high for an Eastern European state, are explained not so much by the government's concern for financing medicine, but by the way of life of the Poles themselves. It has a relatively low percentage of smokers and a low level of obesity compared to other European countries.
As in many developed countries, in Poland there is a regressive type age pyramid. Due to the low birth rate and high life expectancy, there is a very large percentage of middle-aged and elderly people, while children under 15 make up only 14% of the country's population. Apparently, in the coming years, Poland will not see any sharp declines or jumps in the population growth rate.
The gender ratio among Poles is about the same as among Russians. There are more boys under 16 in the country than girls. By the age of 25, the number of men and women becomes the same, and at an older age, women begin to significantly predominate.
Poland is a fairly highly urbanized country. 62% of Poles are city dwellers. The largest cities in Poland are:
- Warsaw (1.7 million inhabitants);
- Krakow (750 thousand inhabitants);
- Lodz (730 thousand inhabitants);
- Wroclaw (630 thousand inhabitants);
- Poznan (550 thousand inhabitants).
Ethnic composition of Poland
In terms of its ethnic composition, Poland is one of the most homogeneous countries in the world. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the state (about 97%) are indigenous Poles. The remaining three percent include: Ukrainians, Russians, Germans, Gypsies, Belarusians, as well as representatives of other nations. Unfortunately, these indicators are connected with the tragic events that took place on the territory of Poland in the 20th century. In the early 1930s, 35% of the country's inhabitants were not native Poles. But due to the Nazi policy carried out in this territory, forced migrations and changes in the borders of the state, the population of Poland not only significantly decreased, but also lost its ethnic diversity.
Also, the high mono-ethnicity of Poland is explained by the migration policy pursued here. Refugees who have arrived in the country cannot count on benefits, benefits and work permits. Therefore, refugees from North Africa and Asia rarely come here. Poland is a country where the protection of the titular nation is zealous. Since the positions of nationalist conservative parties are strong in the Polish Sejm, the country's policy is aimed at further maintaining ethnic homogeneity. To this end, since 2007, Polish consulates have been issuing Pole's Cards to foreigners who prove their belonging to the Polish nation. This document allows you to receive state benefits and gives you the right to employment.
Europe is one of the smallest in area (only Australia - Oceania is smaller) parts of the world, its territory is about 10 million square meters. km. But in terms of population (742 million), Europe is second only to Asia and Africa and concentrates 10% of the world's population. In this ranking, we will consider the largest countries in Europe in terms of area and population. In some sources, especially foreign ones, such ratings take into account the total area and total population of countries that are only partially located in Europe, in which case Turkey is in the top three in both indicators. However, if we take into account only the European parts of the territories of the countries and only the population of the European parts (we will use this approach in the ranking), then the overall picture looks different: Turkey does not fall into the top 10 largest European countries either in terms of area or population. At the same time, in terms of the European population, Turkey would take 11th place in Europe with an indicator of 11.5 million people, most of whom are in the European part of Istanbul (2/3 of the population of Istanbul lives in the European part of the city).
The population data in the ranking is for 2018.
Largest countries in Europe by area
10th place. Poland. Area - 312,679 km².
9th place. Finland. Area - 338,430 km².
8th place. Germany. Area - 357,021 km².
7th place. Kazakhstan. The area of the European part of Kazakhstan is about 380,000 km² or 13.9% of the total territory of the country (2,724,902 km²). In terms of total area, among states wholly or partially located in Europe, Kazakhstan ranks second (after Russia).
When drawing the border between Europe and Asia (within Kazakhstan) along the Emba River, the European part to the west of it includes the territories of: West Kazakhstan region (totally, more than 151,300 km²); Atyrau region (total 118,600 km²; excluding the southern part of the Zhylyoi region - about 103,000 km²); northwestern part of the Aktobe region (total 300,600 km²; without Shalkar (62,200 km²), Irgiz (41,500 km²), Aitekebi region (31,300 km²), without the southern and middle parts of the Baiganinsky region (about 40,000 km² out of 61,000 km² ) - about 126,000 km²).
6th place. Norway. Area - 385,186 km².
5th place. Sweden. Area - 447,435 km².
4th place. Spain. The area of the European part is 498,508 km². The total area (with the Canary Islands and sovereign territories on the border with Morocco) is 505,992 km².
3rd place. France. The area of the European part is 547,030 km². The total area (with Overseas Territories) is 674,685 km².
2nd place. Ukraine. According to official Ukrainian data, the territory of Ukraine is 603,549 km². However, the Ukrainian authorities ignore the fact that Crimea returned to Russia in 2014 and now has nothing to do with Ukraine. The area of Ukraine without Crimea is 576,604 km². But these data are not entirely true, because. Ukraine does not control the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR). The declared area of the territory of the DPR is 8,538.9 km², the area of the LPR is 8,352.6 km². It turns out that the area of Ukraine without Crimea, the DPR and the LPR is 559,713 km², which is still larger than the European territory of France, i.e. Ukraine, even in its present form, remains the second largest European country. It should also be taken into account that the DPR and LPR do not control all the territories they claim, which makes the area controlled by Ukraine slightly larger than the figure indicated above.
Ukraine (marked in dark green on the map) and its former part of Crimea (marked in light green)
The largest country in Europe - Russia. The area of the European part of Russia (with Crimea) is about 3.986 million km², which is much larger than the area of any European country and 7 times larger than the territory of Ukraine. The European part of Russia makes up about 40% of the entire territory of Europe. The total area of the territory of Russia (with Crimea) is 17,124,442 km².
Map of Russia in 2018 (with Crimea):
Russia (with Crimea) on the globe:
Russia is also the largest country in the world in terms of area (see )
Largest countries in Europe by population
10th place. Netherlands. Population - 17.2 million people.
9th place. Romania. Population - 19.6 million people.
8th place. Poland. Population - 38.4 million people.
7th place. Ukraine. Population - 42.4 million people. excluding Crimea, which has been part of Russia since 2014. It is worth noting that even official Ukrainian data on the population of Ukraine do not include Crimea. As stated above, Ukraine does not control the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR). The population of the DPR as of January 1, 2017 is 2.306 million people, the population of the LPR as of March 1 is 1.48 million people. (these are the data of the DNR and LNR themselves). Thus, the population of Ukraine without Crimea, LPR, DPR is 38.6 million people., which is 200 thousand people more than in Poland, therefore, with any calculation option, Ukraine still remains the seventh largest country in Europe in terms of population.
6th place. Spain. Population - 46.7 million people.
5th place. Italy. Population - 60.4 million people.
4th place. France. The population without the Overseas Territories is 65 million people. The population with the Overseas Territories is 67.2 million.
3rd place. Great Britain. Population - 66 million people. As we can see, the difference between the population of Great Britain and the European part of France is 1 million people, and if we count the Overseas Territories of France, then its population is larger than the population of Great Britain.
2nd place. Germany. Population - 82.8 million people.
1 place. Russia. The population of the European part of Russia (with Crimea) is about 114 million people, which is much more than the population of Germany, which makes Russia the largest country in Europe by population, even without taking into account the Asian part of Russia. The total population of Russia - 146.9 million people
The population of Poland is over 38 million people.
National composition:
- Poles (97%);
- Ukrainians, Germans, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Gypsies and other nations (3%).
The high mono-ethnicity of Poland is the result of historical events that took place in the middle of the 20th century (Second World War and post-war period): at this time there was a massive displacement of Germans, Poles and Ukrainians, which led to changes in the ethnic composition of the state.
For the past few decades, Poland has not received a large number of immigrants, with the exception of refugees from Chechnya. But refugees in Poland do not receive benefits and are prohibited from engaging in labor activities, the purpose of which is to earn a living. Therefore, Poland is a transit country for them.
On average, 123 people live per 1 km2, but the most densely populated is the southern part of Poland.
The official language is Polish, but English is widely spoken, and the staff in hotels and shops also speaks Russian.
Large cities: Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Szczecin, Lublin.
Most of the inhabitants of Poland profess Catholicism, but in the country you can meet Jews, Orthodox and representatives of Lutheranism.
Lifespan
Men on average live up to 71 years, and women - up to 80 years.
It is generally accepted that the higher the government allocates funds for health and medicine, the higher the life expectancy will be. But the high living standards of the population of Poland do not justify this postulate - the government allocates only $ 1,300 for this item of expenditure, while in the USA - $ 8,000, and countries Western Europe- about 5000 $.
Poles take care of their health - they smoke 2 times less than Bulgarians, Greeks, Russians, Serbs, and the obesity rate in Poland is 15.8% (on average in Europe - 18%, in the USA - 36%, and in Mexico - 40%). In addition, the Poles are supporters of a healthy diet.
Traditions and customs of the inhabitants of Poland
The Poles love to hold fun celebrations, especially to participate in theatrical performances (“nurseries”), which they put on gospel stories (such events are held after Christmas) - mummers walk around the villages, who joke and carol: they go home and amuse the owners. And as a “payment” they accept treats from the festive table or a little money.
The season of balls and masquerades begins on December 31 - these noisy holidays are accompanied by entertainment events with dances, songs, plentiful treats and jokes.
If you are going to Poland, keep in mind that:
- you need to visit the Poles on an empty stomach: they plentifully and satisfyingly treat their guests;
- if you are a non-drinker, visiting the Poles, at the table, you will have to defend your position;
- in Poland it is customary to yield to public transport place for women and the elderly in order to show respect.
According to the 2011 census, the population of Poland (as of March 31, 2011) was 38.501 million people. Thus, it is the eighth most populous country in Europe, and the sixth in the European Union. The average population density is 123 people per km².
Among them, 20.067 million are women and 18.432 million are men. There are 109 women for every 100 men.
23.169 million people lived in cities, and 15.332 million people lived in villages.
The average life expectancy is 75.85 years. Men - 71.88 years, women - 80.06 years.
Average age 38.2 years (among women - 40 years, among men 36.5 years)
Birth rate - 10.04 per thousand people.
Mortality - 10.1 per thousand people.
| Population of Poland | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Population | Year | Population | ||
| 1846 | 11 107 000 | 1970 | 32 642 000 | ||
| 1911 | 22 110 000 | 1978 | 35 061 000 | ||
| 1921 | 27 177 000 | 1988 | 37 879 000 | ||
| 1931 | 32 107 000 | 1990 | 38 183 000 | ||
| 1938 | 34 849 000 | 1995 | 38 610 000 | ||
| 1946 | 23 930 000 | 2000 | 38 654 000 | ||
| 1950 | 25 008 000 | 2005 | 38 191 000 | ||
| 1960 | 29 776 000 | 2010 | 38 200 000 | ||
Poland is one of the most mono-ethnic states in the world. According to the 2011 census, 93.72% of Poland's population identified themselves as ethnic Poles. The largest ethnic groups are Silesians, Germans, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Gypsies, and Jews.
The exceptionally high mono-ethnicity of Poland is a consequence of the historical events of the middle of the 20th century that radically changed the national structure of the country, namely, World War II (the Holocaust) and the post-war changes in European borders and the resulting mass movements of the German, Polish and Ukrainian population, as well as ethnic politics states. As official statistics show, over the past two decades there has been no noticeable influx of immigrants to Poland, with the exception of the acceptance of several thousand refugees from Chechnya. According to Polish law, refugee status gives the right to stay in the country, but does not allow either to work for the purpose of earning money or receive social benefits from the state; international and local humanitarian and charitable organizations are responsible for providing refugees. For this reason, Poland is usually a transit country for refugees.
|
Ethnic composition population of Poland according to the 2011 census, which allowed one or two answers about nationality |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | population all answers (thousand people) |
including who indicated first nationality (thousand people) |
including who indicated as the only nationality (thousand people) |
share all answers % |
share who indicated first nationality % |
share who indicated as the only nationality % |
| Poles | 36 085 | 36 007 | 35 251 | 93,72% | 93,52% | 91,56% |
| Silesians | 809 | 418 | 362 | 2,10% | 1,09% | 0,94% |
| Kashubians | 228 | 17 | 16 | 0,59% | 0,04% | 0,04% |
| Germans | 109 | 49 | 26 | 0,28% | 0,13% | 0,07% |
| Ukrainians | 48 | 36 | 26 | 0,12% | 0,09% | 0,07% |
| Belarusians | 47 | 37 | 31 | 0,12% | 0,10% | 0,08% |
| gypsies | 16 | 12 | 9 | 0,04% | 0,03% | 0,02% |
| Russians | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0,03% | 0,02% | 0,01% |
| Americans | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0,03% | 0,003% | 0,003% |
| Lemkos | 10 | 7 | 5 | 0,03% | 0,02% | 0,02% |
| English | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0,03% | 0,01% | 0,003% |
| other | 87 | 45 | 34 | 0,23% | 0,12% | 0,09% |
| not determined | 1 862 | 1 862 | - | 4,84% | 4,84% | - |
| Total | 38 501 | 38 501 | 38 501 | 100,00% | 100,00% | 100,00% |
In recent years, the population of Poland has been gradually decreasing due to an increase in emigration and a drop in the birth rate. After the country joined the European Union, a large number of Poles emigrated to Western European countries in search of work.
The population of Poland includes a number of sub-ethnic groups, including: Goral, Kashubians, Silesians, Masurians and others. The Polabs and Pomeranians, previously close to the Poles, were mostly Germanized.
Poland is a country located in Eastern Europe, the composition of the population of which is quite homogeneous in terms of nationality. This fact seems truly unusual, especially considering the centuries-old history of this country. However according to official data it is the natives of Poland that form the basis of the population. To find out more accurate information about the population of Poland, you should consider in more detail demographic situation, cultural characteristics and traditions of the population.
Population of Poland and Polish cities in numbers
You can find out the population of Poland and Polish cities, as well as their quantitative statistics over the past 30 years, in an article about.
Demographic situation in Poland
The Central Statistical Agency collects statistical data in Poland. According to him, the population of the country at the end of 2015 amounted to 38.439 million people. Of them men 48.7%, and women 51.3%. The share of the able-bodied population in Poland is 58.7%, and before and after the able-bodied 27.5% and 13.8%, respectively. The population of Poland is quite urbanized, as again evidenced by statistics.
Quantity urban population accounts for 62% of Poles who live in 884 cities, half of which are located in large centers. According to recent data, mortality in Poland slightly exceeds the birth rate. On average, about 1,053 babies are born per day and 1,075 people die. In addition, there is a migration outflow of the population, which also negatively affects its size.
This was especially evident after the country's accession to the European Union, when more than 2 million young people decided to emigrate to more the developed countries Europe. After that, the state developed many programs to retain personnel in the country and prevent the "brain drain". Lifespan in Poland is 73 years (average). For women - 77 years, and for men - 69 years.
Ethnic composition of Poland
Poland is monoethnic state, Poles make up about 97% of the total population of the country. In addition to the dominant ethnic group, Germans (0.8%) also live here, they are mainly concentrated in the regions of Silesia and Pomozh, Ukrainians (0.65%) and Belarusians (0.53%). The remaining ethnic groups - Russians, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Jews, Latvians and Gypsies - are not so significantly represented and account for just over 3% of the total population of the country.
These statistics are not particularly surprising, since the modern independent Polish state in its current territories was formed only after the end of World War II, which claimed the lives of about 20% of the country's population. After the armistice was announced and in accordance with the conclusion between the USSR and Germany of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, more than 12 million people who previously lived and were citizens of Poland found themselves on the territory of Soviet Ukraine.
Also, the wave of migration of the 1980s and 1990s to Canada and the United States reduced the number of ethnic Poles by 500,000. Today, the Polish diaspora has more than 10 million people, who mainly live in the USA, France, Brazil, and also in the CIS countries.
Religious beliefs of the Polish population
In Poland, the majority of the inhabitants are Catholics. According to a survey conducted in 2011 among 92.1% of the population, 87.5% of the population declared themselves Catholics, about 7.1% hid their religious beliefs, 2.4% spoke in support of atheism, and representatives of Orthodoxy and other religious confessions classified themselves less than 1% of the inhabitants. This fact is associated with the events of the Holocaust and its consequences for Polish Jews during the Second World War.
In view of the above statistics, the importance of the role of Catholicism in the life of the state is justified. Therefore, Poland is recognized in Europe the most catholic state among all existing ones. The church acts as a unifying link, a symbol of the unity of the Poles and the preservation of traditions and culture that have developed over many centuries.
Language possibilities of the Poles
The state language is Polish, which is spoken by the majority of the population of Poland. Poles also speak such foreign languages as Russian (26%) - predominantly the elderly population of the country, English (29%) - mostly young and mature residents, as well as German (19%) - representatives of the northern regions of Poland.
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Slovak, Czech, Armenian, German, Lithuanian, Hebrew were recognized as languages of national minorities, in accordance with the adopted state regulatory legal act. Historians also note Poland as the origin of languages such as Prussian, which is no longer used, and Esperanto, which was artificially created for communication in the scientific community.
Culture and traditions of the Poles
Poland has made the most significant contribution to the treasury of world culture as its literature. The first literary creations in the form of prose and verse, written in Latin and subsidized in the 15th century, by Mikołaj Rey, stood out significantly from other literature, which at that time was predominantly religious in nature.
Further, in the 18th-19th centuries, Polish literature was formed under the influence of Western Europe. The works of such famous writers as Elzbit Druzbak, Adam Mickiewicz, Alexander Glovatsky saw the light of day. Among contemporaries, science fiction writers stand out - Andrzej Sapkowski and Stanisław Lem.
In turn, with regard to family traditions, it is precisely family and happy family life among the majority of Poles are recognized as the highest value. This is confirmed by the fact that among European countries Poland is one of the last places in terms of the number of divorces. For Poles, the family is above material wealth and professional ambitions.
In addition, the Poles are very polite to others. But, in turn, they also demand respect for themselves. The honor of a woman is one of competitive advantage Polish population among other European states. Also, the Poles should be attributed to the most educated and mobile residents of Europe.
Thus, the population of Poland is mono-ethnic, with a minor presence of other ethnic groups. The founding religion is Catholicism, which left its mark on the traditions and cultural characteristics population of Poland.
Population of Poland is monoethnic in composition. But demographic situation, culture and religion will help you learn more about the population of Poland.
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