The Polish family model is changing
The number of families in Poland has been steadily declining over the past 10 years, according to preliminary data from the National Census. The GUS data shows how the Polish family model has been changing over the past decade. There are also fewer and fewer marriages, while informal unions are on the rise.
During the decade separating the two censuses, the number of families in Poland fell by 7.4 percent, with just over 10 million counted in 2021. A decade back there were more than 11 million.
Families declined primarily in cities. And this was caused by two effects. First, a decrease in the number of families in general. Second, the relocation of families from cities to the countryside, most often to suburban municipalities clustered around large agglomerations.
Over the years, the pattern of the formal type of relationship has changed. The number of marriages – both with and without children – has decreased significantly. In 2021, there were about 7.3 million of them, accounting for more than 72 percent of the total number of families. Instead, the number of couples in informal relationships is growing dynamically. Over the decade it has increased by more than 74 percent, from 316,000 in 2011 to more than half a million in 2021.
