Demographic upswing as 2014 sees more births than expected
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
30.12.2014 10:08
New data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reveals that Poland’s population may grow by 10,000 this year, with more births than previously estimated.
The year 2014 was expected to be the worst for Polish demographic trends since the end of World War II. A report published on 1 October on Poland’s population between 2014-2050 estimated that this year would see 360.4 thousand births and 384.1 thousand deaths.
However, new data from GUS shows that in the period between January and October this year, 318.7 thousand children were born, 4.6 thousand more than in the same period in 2013.
As a result, revised estimates reveal that in 2014, 380 thousand children will be born this year, 20,000 more than previously envisaged. With fewer death than expected, the population of Poland is expected to grow this year.
According to experts polled by the Rzeczpospolita daily, the growth may be a result of a new law on parental leave which was introduced in 2013, which envisages paid holiday for one year.
The popularity of the new parental law is reflected in data from Poland’s social security institution, ZUS.
In January 2014, 77.2 thousand people took up parental leave, while by October that number had risen to 126.5 thousand.
From 2016, ZUS also expects to be able to pay parents for annual leave who are not insured, with monthly benefits to amount to PLN 1,000 (around EUR 250). (jb)