Poland’s population to plummet by 2060?

Taking into account data from 2013 as a starting point, the report reveals that Poland’s population will drop from 38.5 million to 33.2 million people by 2060.

The Commission report estimates that the number of people of working age (15-64) will also drop by 16.4 percentage points, from 70.5 to 54.1 percent.

However, at the same time the number of elderly people will grow, with people over the age of 65 accounting for 32.9 percent of the country’s population by 2060.

The cost of Poland’s ageing society also means that expenditure is expected to grow overall from 20.9 percent to 22.2 percent of GDP, with the greatest hike in healthcare costs, rising from 4.2 percent to 5.4 percent of GDP.

Meanwhile, in EU terms, the report projects that the population of the 28-nation bloc will grow from the current 507 million to 523 million, thanks to immigration to the EU, however, and not due to internal demographic trends. (jb)

At a glance: EC Poland factsheet [PDF]

Source: PAP/EC