Depopulation in the Eastern Poland Macroregion and the Demographic Consequences of this Process in the Second Decade of the 21st Century

Abstract

The Eastern Poland Macroregion – which comprises the Lublin Voivodeship, the Subcarpathia Voivodeship, and the Podlasie Voivodeship – has seen a real annual decline in the population since 1999, which resulted mainly from the migration loss (an annual natural decline has occurred since 2013). These are areas that are rather unattractive in terms of settlement: all three of the above-mentioned voivodeships have shown a negative migration balance for over two decades. Additionally, in the regions of Lublin and Podlasie, the effect of the migration loss is amplified by the natural loss. These two voivodeships differ in terms of the course and intensity of depopulation processes in urban and rural areas. Within each of them there are poviats and municipalities which have experienced depopulation in a long period, as well as those in which an actual population increase is observed.

The study seeks to analyse the intensity of the depopulation process in voivodeships, poviats, and municipalities of the Eastern Macroregion, including the identification of those administrative units which experienced an annual decline in population in the second decade of the 21^st century. An additional goal was to assess the advancement of demographic ageing and the progress of this process in the depopulation municipalities of the Macroregion in the period of 2011–2020. The study employed dynamics indices, intensity indices, and relative frequencies. The analyses were based on statistical data from the Central Statistical Office.

Summarising briefly the results, it should be stated that in the second decade of the 21^st century, a relatively least favourable demographic situation could be observed in the municipalities (mainly rural ones) of the Lublin and Podlasie voivodeships, in most cases characterised by a significant, long-term intensity of the depopulation process as well as a high level of advancement of demographic old age. On the other hand, the areas surrounding the cities (especially large in terms of the number of inhabitants) were in a relatively favourable situation.