Poland People - 2024

Population

37,991,766 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Pole(s)

adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups

Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)

note: represents ethnicity declared first

Languages

Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2%; note - data represent the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Księga Faktów Świata, niezbędne źródło podstawowych informacji. (Polish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Polish audio sample:

Religions

Catholic 85% (includes Roman Catholic 84.8% and other Catholic 0.3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentecostal), other 0.3% (includes Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist, Hare Krishna, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Muslim, Jewish, Church of Jesus Christ), unspecified 12.9% (2020 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.53% (male 2,839,788/female 2,680,401)

15-64 years: 64.87% (male 12,364,282/female 12,280,814)

65 years and over: 20.6% (2023 est.) (male 3,171,838/female 4,654,643)

2023 population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 51.4

youth dependency ratio: 23.4

elderly dependency ratio: 28.6

potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 42.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 41.1 years

female: 43.7 years

Population growth rate

-1.03% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

8.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

12.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

Urbanization

urban population: 60.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -0.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

27.9 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

2 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 71.7 years

female: 80 years

Total fertility rate

1.31 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.64 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

62.3% (2014)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99.9% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

6.5% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

3.77 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density

6.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: intermediate (2023)

vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 10.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 5.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 4.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 24% (2020 est.)

male: 27.9% (2020 est.)

female: 20.1% (2020 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

56.6% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.8% (2021)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2020)