Posted on August 1, 2008

Poland’s Future Includes Fewer Poles, More Foreigners

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, July 28, 2008

Poland’s population will likely shrink by two million by 2035, but the country will have twice as many foreigners, reported the daily Dziennik on Monday.

A report from the Central Statistical Office forecasts that Poland will become a more multi-cultural country owing to the influx of migrants from the former Soviet Union, Asia and Africa.

The report details a number of reasons: Only 38 per cent of women will be of age for childbirth, the daily says, compared to 50 per cent today. Polish women also will not think of starting a family until their 30s.

There will be some four million more senior citizens and life expectancy is expected to rise by six years for men and three years for women.

Fewer Poles will also leave the country in search of work, the report predicts, as they are expected to have better opportunities and an improved quality of life in Poland.