The Demography Of Poland's Ageing Population

Poland’s Aging Population Name Institutional affiliation Instructor’s name Date Poland’s Aging Population Overview According to the 1995 UN statistics, Poland had 38.62 million people who were divided into two groups based on where they dwelled by then. Of the total population, 38.1% were residing in the rural areas whereas 61.9% were town dwellers (un.org, 1996). Poland is located in central Europe and is bordered by seven countries namely Lithuania, Russian Federation, Belarus, the Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Germany. This paper seeks to explore more of the concerns being raised about the shrinking population in Poland, the mortality rate and the issue of immigration and its impact on the economy. The demography of Poland’s ageing population Statistics from Polish Central Statistical Office at the close of 2013 indicates that, Poland had 38.5 million inhabitants. Of this population, 52% were women with the remaining 48% being men (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). There are however projections that the population is expected to shrink further to 32 million in the year 2050. Poland is facing the challenge of emigration ever since it was incorporated in the European Union in 2004. There have been enough numbers of the locals migrating to other countries in the EU region to seek for greener pastures. This has traded a great blow to the population of Poland. The second reason for the decline in the population of this country is a reduction in the fertility rates of its citizens. The rate has declined to 1.2 children in 2014 all the way down from 3.7 children per woman in the 1950s (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). The changes have had a tremendous impact on the socioeconomic structure of Poland. Observations by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), indicate that the life expectancy of Poland is 73 years for men as compared to that one for women which stands at 81 years, bringing it to an average of 77 years of age (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). Most of the European countries are experiencing the problem of an ageing population. By 2012, the median age was 38.5 up from 28.8 in the 1950s, however, it is expected to increase further by 2050. Senior citizens aged 65 years and above stands at 13.5% of the entire population. Poland’s aged population of 65 years and over is expected to plummet to an astonishing 27% by the year 2030 (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). Poland’s mortality rate The mortality rate in infants is approximately 6.42 deaths per 1000 live births. Males record 7.12 death as compared to females who record 5.67 deaths per 1000 live births (worldpopulationreview.com, 2018).There is a disparity in the mortality rate of the male and the female in the older adults, especially, those between the 70-74 years. The female mortality rate is lower than their male counterparts. 60% of the older adults are women and the rate is expected to go up in the especially when the age goes up to 90-94 years in the subsequent decades (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). Research indicates that most of the older population in Poland are always not prepared for their old age and as a result, they depend on the public pension system for provision of their basic needs (Leszko, Zajak-Lamparska, & Trempala, 2015). Mitigation of the population decline in Poland Currently as per Devictor, (2012) findings, the number of girls between the ages of 5-15 who will make up the future mothers, is 1.8 million. This is an indi...