Poland’s ongoing demographic collapse continues, with the once conservative Catholic country featuring high birth rates, now a land increasingly of childless women and men
Only Spain is a match for Poland, according to data from Birth Gauge, a website that tracks demographic trends around the world. In fact, things have never been this bad in Poland.
The data was shared by Andrzej Kubisiak, deputy director of the Polish Economic Institute, in an X post.
“The total birth rate for Poland in 2024 may be the lowest in the whole of Europe (ex aequo with Spain) and amount to 1.12 This is the worst result in our modern history,” wrote Kubisiak.
The rate of 1.12 for Poland indicates a birth rate of 1.12 children per woman. The rate needed to replace the population is 2.1.
In the 1980s, the same indicator exceeded 2, and just after World War II, it was higher than 3.
Among European countries, the highest fertility rate was recorded in Montenegro (1.79). Rates above 1.5 can be found in France, Iceland and some Balkan countries.
It should be noted that despite a recent uptick in immigration, Poland is one of the most homogenous countries in Europe. In other words, Poland cannot smooth over the collapse of the native population like other Western European countries can, with foreigners coming and producing more babies than native populations. However, similar or nearly equal collapses in native White European populations are likely taking place in countries like Germany and France.Despite European countries being in dire straits when it comes to babies, the situation is not as bad as seen in Asian countries such as South Korea, where the rate is below 1. In fact, South Korea has the lowest birth rate on the planet.
