Editing Poland (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Poland|List of cities and towns in Poland|Metropolitan areas in Poland|Polish people|Polish diaspora}}
Poland has a population of approximately 38.2 million as of 2021, and is the [[List of European countries by population|ninth-most populous country]] in Europe, as well as the fifth-most populous member state of the [[European Union]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Statistics Poland |url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/national-census/national-population-and-housing-census-2021/national-population-and-housing-census-2021/preliminary-results-of-the-national-population-and-housing-census-2021,1,1.html |title=Preliminary results of the National Population and Housing Census 2021 |date=2021 |publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny GUS |page=1 |language=en |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306123848/https://stat.gov.pl/en/national-census/national-population-and-housing-census-2021/national-population-and-housing-census-2021/preliminary-results-of-the-national-population-and-housing-census-2021,1,1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It has a population density of {{convert|122|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|inhabitants&nbsp;|inhabitants|}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Statistics Poland |url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/population/population/area-and-population-in-the-territorial-profile-in-2021,4,15.html |title=Area and population in the territorial profile |date=2021 |publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny GUS |page=20 |language=en, pl |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306132200/https://stat.gov.pl/en/topics/population/population/area-and-population-in-the-territorial-profile-in-2021,4,15.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[total fertility rate]] was estimated at 1.33 children born to a woman in 2021, which is [[List of sovereign states and dependencies by total fertility rate|among the world's lowest]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fertility rate, total (births per woman) – Poland |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=PL |access-date=12 March 2022 |website=[[World Bank]] |archive-date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603193244/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=PL |url-status=live }}</ref> Furthermore, Poland's population is [[List of countries by median age|aging significantly]], and the country has a [[median age]] of 42.2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Median age |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison/ |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=www.cia.gov |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221070333/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Population of Poland.svg|upright=1.1|thumb|Population of Poland from 1900 to 2010 in millions of inhabitants]]
Around 60% of the country's population lives in urban areas or major cities and 40% in rural zones.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Urban population (% of the population) – Poland |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=PL |access-date=13 March 2022 |website=[[World Bank]] |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531090338/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=PL |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, 50.2% of Poles resided in [[detached dwelling]]s and 44.3% in apartments.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Distribution of population by degree of urbanisation, dwelling type and income group – EU-SILC survey |url=https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |access-date=6 April 2022 |website=European Statistical Office "Eurostat" |publisher=European Commission |archive-date=21 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121154457/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/eurostat/web/main/help/faq/data-services |url-status=live }}</ref> The most populous administrative province or state is the [[Masovian Voivodeship]] and the most populous city is the capital, [[Warsaw]], at 1.8 million inhabitants with a further 2–3 million people living in its [[Warsaw metropolitan area|metropolitan area]].<ref>[http://www.mrr.gov.pl/polityka_regionalna/SRPW_2020/Dokumenty%20i%20ekspertyzy/Documents/17d0ccd2c3f14ed3893369e56d59849cMarkowski.pdf Funkcje Metropolitalne Pięciu Stolic Województw Wschodnich] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327120341/http://www.mrr.gov.pl/polityka_regionalna/SRPW_2020/Dokumenty%20i%20ekspertyzy/Documents/17d0ccd2c3f14ed3893369e56d59849cMarkowski.pdf |date=27 March 2009 }} – [[:pl:Tadeusz Markowski (ekonomista)|Markowski]]</ref><ref>[https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003WUPHighlights.pdf ''World Urbanization Prospects''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716184129/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2003/2003WUPHighlights.pdf |date=16 July 2012 }} – United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs / Population Division, The 2003 Revision (data of 2000)</ref><ref>[[Eurostat]], [http://www.urbanaudit.org/DataAccessed.aspx Urban Audit database] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406130058/http://www.urbanaudit.org/DataAccessed.aspx |date=6 April 2011 }}, accessed on 12 March 2009. Data for 2004.</ref> The [[Katowice urban area|metropolitan area]] of [[Katowice]] is the largest urban [[conurbation]] with a population between 2.7 million<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=Wendell |date=2013 |title=Major Metropolitan Areas in Europe |url=http://www.newgeography.com/content/003879-major-metropolitan-areas-europe |website=New Geography |publisher=Joel Kotkin and Praxis Strategy Group |access-date=14 May 2021 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531075700/http://www.newgeography.com/content/003879-major-metropolitan-areas-europe |url-status=live }}</ref> and 5.3 million residents.<ref>[[European Spatial Planning Observation Network]], [https://www.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/fr-1.4.3_April2007-final.pdf Study on Urban Functions (Project 1.4.3)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924002318/http://www.espon.eu/export/sites/default/Documents/Projects/ESPON2006Projects/StudiesScientificSupportProjects/UrbanFunctions/fr-1.4.3_April2007-final.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }}, Final Report, Chapter 3, (ESPON, 2007)</ref> Population density is higher in the south of Poland and mostly concentrated between the cities of [[Wrocław]] and [[Kraków]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jażdżewska |first=Iwona |date=September 2017 |title=Changes in population density of the urban population in southern Poland in the period 1950–2011 against the background of political and economic transformation |journal=Miscellanea Geographica |publisher=Sciendo |volume=21 |pages=107–113 |doi=10.1515/mgrsd-2017-0017 |issn=2084-6118 |s2cid=134111630 |doi-access=free |number=3|bibcode=2017MiscG..21..107J }}</ref>

In the [[Polish census of 2011|2011 Polish census]], 37,310,341 people reported [[Polish people|Polish]] identity, 846,719 [[Silesians|Silesian]], 232,547 [[Kashubians|Kashubian]] and 147,814 [[German minority in Poland|German]]. Other [[Polish people#National minorities|identities]] were reported by 163,363 people (0.41%) and 521,470 people (1.35%) did not specify any nationality.<ref name="Central Statistical Office 2015">{{Cite book |url=https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf |title=Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011 |publisher=Central Statistical Office |year=2015 |isbn=978-83-7027-597-6 |page=36 |language=pl |trans-title=National-ethnic, linguistic and religious structure of Poland. National Census of Population and Housing 2011 |access-date=26 April 2018 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808010836/https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Official population statistics do not include migrant workers who do not possess a permanent residency permit or [[Karta Polaka]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Statistics Poland |url=https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/p_inter_migration_stat_system_in_poland.pdf |title=The Concept of the International Migration. Statistics System in Poland. |date=n.d. |publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny GUS |page=5 |language=en |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=28 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128120002/https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/p_inter_migration_stat_system_in_poland.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> More than 1.7 million [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] citizens worked legally in Poland in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Filling Poland's labour gap |work=Poland Today |url=https://poland-today.pl/filling-polands-labour-gap/ |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512144010/https://poland-today.pl/filling-polands-labour-gap/ |archive-date=12 May 2022}}</ref> The number of migrants is rising steadily; the country approved 504,172 work permits for foreigners in 2021 alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Departament Rynku Pracy MRPiPS |date=2021 |title=Zezwolenia na pracę cudzoziemców |url=https://psz.praca.gov.pl/-/8180075-zezwolenia-na-prace-cudzoziemcow |website=psz.praca.gov.pl |language=pl |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531072214/https://psz.praca.gov.pl/-/8180075-zezwolenia-na-prace-cudzoziemcow |url-status=live }}</ref> 

According to the 2021 census, ethnic Poles comprise 98.84% of the population, including people who declared Polish heritage alone (96.28%) or both Polish and another ethnicity (2.56%) as responders were allowed to select up to two ethnicities. People who declared only non-Polish ethnicities made up 1.13% of the population and people who did not report their ethnicity numbered 0.03%. The province with the highest percentage of ethnic Poles was the Holy Cross Voivodeship (99.70%), and the region with the lowest share of ethnic Poles was the Silesian Voivodeship (95.49%).<ref>{{Cite web |last=GUS |title=Tablice z ostatecznymi danymi w zakresie przynależności narodowo-etnicznej, języka używanego w domu oraz przynależności do wyznania religijnego; spis 2021 |url=https://stat.gov.pl/spisy-powszechne/nsp-2021/nsp-2021-wyniki-ostateczne/tablice-z-ostatecznymi-danymi-w-zakresie-przynaleznosci-narodowo-etnicznej-jezyka-uzywanego-w-domu-oraz-przynaleznosci-do-wyznania-religijnego,10,1.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=stat.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| country      = Poland
| stat_ref     = Baza Demografia (GUS) 2024<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Wyniki badan biezacych |url=https://demografia.stat.gov.pl/bazademografia/Tables.aspx}}</ref> 
| div_name     = Voivodeship

|city_1 = Warsaw
|div_1 = Masovian Voivodeship{{!}}Masovian
|pop_1 = 1,862,402
|img_1 = Aleja Niepdleglosci Warsaw 2022 aerial (cropped).jpg

|city_2 = Kraków
|div_2 = Lesser Poland Voivodeship{{!}}Lesser Poland
|pop_2 = 807,644
|img_2 = Zamek Królewski na Wawelu (1).jpg

|city_3 = Wrocław
|div_3 = Lower Silesian Voivodeship{{!}}Lower Silesian
|pop_3 = 673,531
|img_3 = Old Town Hall in Wrocław, September 2022 13.jpg

|city_4 = Łódź
|div_4 = Łódź Voivodeship{{!}}Łódź
|pop_4 = 648,711
|img_4 = Brama Manufaktury.jpg

|city_5 = Poznań
|div_5 = Greater Poland Voivodeship{{!}}Greater Poland
|pop_5 = 536,818

|city_6 = Gdańsk
|div_6 = Pomeranian Voivodeship{{!}}Pomeranian
|pop_6 = 487,834
|city_7 = Szczecin
|div_7 = West Pomeranian Voivodeship{{!}}West Pomeranian
|pop_7 = 387,700

|city_8 = Lublin 
|div_8 =  Lublin Voivodeship{{!}}Lublin
|pop_8 = 328,868

|city_9 = Bydgoszcz
|div_9 = Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship{{!}}Kuyavian-Pomeranian
|pop_9 = 324,984

|city_10 = Białystok
|div_10 = Podlaskie Voivodeship{{!}}Podlaskie
|pop_10 = 290,907

|city_11 = Katowice
|div_11 = Silesian Voivodeship{{!}}Silesian
|pop_11 = 278,090

|city_12 = Gdynia
|div_12 = Pomeranian Voivodeship{{!}}Pomeranian
|pop_12 = 240,554

|city_13 = Częstochowa
|div_13 = Silesian Voivodeship{{!}}Silesian
|pop_13 = 204,703

|city_14 = Rzeszów
|div_14 = Subcarpathian Voivodeship{{!}}Subcarpathian 
|pop_14 = 197,706

|city_15 = Radom
|div_15 = Masovian Voivodeship{{!}}Masovian
|pop_15 = 194,916

|city_16 = Toruń
|div_16 = Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship{{!}}Kuyavian-Pomeranian
|pop_16 = 194,273

|city_17 = Sosnowiec
|div_17 = Silesian Voivodeship{{!}}Silesian
|pop_17 = 185,930

|city_18 = Kielce
|div_18 = Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship{{!}}Świętokrzyskie
|pop_18 = 181,211	

|city_19 = Gliwice
|div_19 = Silesian Voivodeship{{!}}Silesian
|pop_19 = 169,259

|city_20 = Olsztyn
|div_20 = Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship{{!}} Warmian-Masurian
|pop_20 = 166,697
}}

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Polish language|Languages of Poland|Bilingual communes in Poland}}
[[File:Dolina Jadwigi znak.jpg|thumb|''[[Dolina Jadwigi]]''—a [[bilingual]] Polish-[[Kashubian language|Kashubian]] road sign with the village name]]

[[Polish language|Polish]] is the [[official language|official]] and predominant spoken language in Poland, and is one of the official [[languages of the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mori |first=Laura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=upF5DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22polish%2Bofficial%2Blanguage%2Bpoland%2Band%2BEuropean%2BUnion%22&pg=PA295 |title=Observing eurolects corpus analysis of linguistic variation in EU law |date=2018 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |isbn=978-90-272-0170-6 |location=Philadelphia |page=295 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180503/https://books.google.com/books?id=upF5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA295&dq=%22polish+official+language+poland+and+European+Union%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is also a [[second language]] in parts of neighbouring [[Lithuania]], where it is taught in Polish-minority schools.<ref>{{cite act |url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=157&CM=2&DF=18/04/02&CL=ENG |title=Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities |index=157 |type=Treaty |legislature=Council of Europe |date=1 February 1995 |access-date=15 September 2021 }} {{Cite web |url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=157&CM=2&DF=18%2F04%2F02&CL=ENG |title=Full list - Treaty Office - www.coe.int |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=16 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016045738/http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=157&CM=2&DF=18%2F04%2F02&CL=ENG |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lazdiņa |first1=Sanita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LQ92DwAAQBAJ&q=polish%2Btaught%2Bin%2Bschools%2Bin%2Blithuania&pg=PA164 |title=Multilingualism in the Baltic States: Societal Discourses and Contact Phenomena |last2=Marten |first2=Heiko F. |date=2018 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-56914-1 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=24 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724235928/https://books.google.com/books?id=LQ92DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164&q=polish%2Btaught%2Bin%2Bschools%2Bin%2Blithuania |url-status=live }}</ref> Contemporary Poland is a linguistically [[homogeneous]] nation, with 97% of respondents declaring Polish as their mother tongue.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Natalia Kucirkova |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUAlDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22polish%2Bmother%2Btongue%2B97%2Bpercent%22&pg=PA139 |title=The Routledge international handbook of early literacy education |last2=Catherine E Snow |last3=Vibeke Grøver |last4=Catherine McBride |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-78788-9 |location=New York |page=139 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180455/https://books.google.com/books?id=sUAlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA139&dq=%22polish+mother+tongue+97+percent%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are currently 15 minority languages in Poland,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages |url=http://ksng.gugik.gov.pl/english/files/act_on_national_minorities.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306175740/http://ksng.gugik.gov.pl/english/files/act_on_national_minorities.pdf |archive-date=6 March 2021 |access-date=6 April 2020 |website=GUGiK.gov.pl |publisher=Główny Urząd Geodezji i Kartografii (Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography) |url-status=dead }}</ref> including one recognised regional language, [[Kashubian language|Kashubian]], which is spoken by approximately 100,000 people on a daily basis in the northern regions of [[Kashubia]] and [[Pomerania]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Michna |first1=Ewa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kIvgDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22kashubian%2Bregional%2Blanguage%2Bkashubia%2Bpomerania%22&pg=PA16 |title=Identity Strategies of Stateless Ethnic Minority Groups in Contemporary Poland |last2=Warmińska |first2=Katarzyna |date=2020 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-030-41575-4 |location=Cham |page=16 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180500/https://books.google.com/books?id=kIvgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16&dq=%22kashubian+regional+language+kashubia+pomerania%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Poland also recognises [[Bilingual communes in Poland|secondary administrative languages or auxiliary languages in bilingual municipalities]], where bilingual signs and placenames are commonplace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obwieszczenie Marszałka Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 5 kwietnia 2017 r. w sprawie ogłoszenia jednolitego tekstu ustawy o mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym |url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20170000823 |website=isap.sejm.gov.pl |access-date=11 December 2020 |archive-date=2 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702055920/https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20170000823 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the [[Centre for Public Opinion Research]], around 32% of Polish citizens declared knowledge of the English language in 2015.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2016 |title=O wyjazdach zagranicznych i znajomości języków obcych. |url=https://cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2016/K_005_16.PDF |journal=CBOS Komunikat z Badań |language=pl |issue=5 |page=13 |issn=2353-5822 |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216121343/https://cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2016/K_005_16.PDF |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Poland}}
[[File:Pope John Paul II in Kraków – 1983.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]], born Karol Wojtyła, held the papacy between 1978 and 2005 and was the first [[Polish people|Pole]] to become a [[Roman Catholic]] Pope.]]

According to the 2021 census, 71.3% of all Polish citizens adhere to the [[Roman Catholic Church in Poland|Roman Catholic Church]], with 6.9% identifying as having no religion and 20.6% refusing to answer.<ref name="Census 2021" />

Poland is one of the [[Religion in Europe|most religious countries in Europe]], where Roman Catholicism remains a part of national identity and Polish-born [[Pope John Paul II]] is widely revered.<ref name="Rocca 2022">{{Cite news |last1=Rocca |first1=Francis X. |last2=Ojewska |first2=Natalia |date=19 February 2022 |title=In Traditionally Catholic Poland, the Young Are Leaving the Church |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-old-school-catholic-poland-youth-are-leaving-the-church-11645263383 |access-date=23 October 2023 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014092223/https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-old-school-catholic-poland-youth-are-leaving-the-church-11645263383 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Graf Strachwitz |first=Rupert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykj2DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22poland%2Bone%2Bof%2Bmost%2Breligious%2BCatholic%2Bnational%2Bidentity%22&pg=PT184 |title=Religious communities and civil society in Europe |date=2020 |publisher=De Gruyter Oldenburg |isbn=978-3-11-067299-2 |volume=II |location=Berlin |page=177 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180456/https://books.google.com/books?id=ykj2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT184&dq=%22poland+one+of+most+religious+Catholic+national+identity%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, 61.6% of respondents outlined that religion is of high or very high importance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Infographic – Religiousness of Polish inhabitants |url=https://stat.gov.pl/en/infographics-and-widgets/infographics/infographic-religiousness-of-polish-inhabitiants,4,1.html |access-date=13 March 2022 |publisher=Statistics Poland (Główny Urząd Statystyczny) |archive-date=9 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309160430/https://stat.gov.pl/en/infographics-and-widgets/infographics/infographic-religiousness-of-polish-inhabitiants,4,1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, church attendance has greatly decreased in recent years; only 28% of Catholics attended [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] weekly in 2021, down from around half in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coppen |first=Luke |date=18 January 2023 |title=How steep is Poland's drop in Mass attendance? |url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/how-steep-is-polands-drop-in-mass-attendance |access-date=23 October 2023 |website=[[The Pillar]] |language=en |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018193907/https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/how-steep-is-polands-drop-in-mass-attendance |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', "Of [the] more than 100 countries studied by the ''[[Pew Research Center]]'' in 2018, Poland was [[Secularization|secularising]] the fastest, as measured by the disparity between the religiosity of young people and their elders."<ref name="Rocca 2022" />

Freedom of religion in Poland is guaranteed by the Constitution, and Poland's [[concordat]] with the [[Holy See]] enables the teaching of religion in public schools.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ramet |first1=Sabrina P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hopjDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22religion%2Bin%2Bschool%2Bpoland%2Bconstitution%22&pg=PA147 |title=Religion, Politics, and Values in Poland: Continuity and Change Since 1989 |last2=Borowik |first2=Irena |date=26 October 2016 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-43751-8 |location=New York |page=147 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180448/https://books.google.com/books?id=hopjDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA147&dq=%22religion+in+school+poland+constitution%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Historically, the Polish state maintained a high degree of [[Warsaw Confederation|religious tolerance]] and provided asylum for refugees fleeing religious persecution in other parts of Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Laursen |first1=John Christian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AnYSxFMq48gC&dq=%22poland%2Bsafe%2Bhaven%2Breligious%2Bpersecution%2Brefugees%22&pg=PA103 |title=Beyond the Persecuting Society: Religious Toleration Before the Enlightenment |last2=Nederman |first2=Cary J. |date=2011 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-1567-0 |location=Philadelphia |page=103 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180450/https://books.google.com/books?id=AnYSxFMq48gC&pg=PA103&dq=%22poland+safe+haven+religious+persecution+refugees%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Poland hosted Europe's largest [[History of the Jews in Poland|Jewish diaspora]], and the country was a centre of [[Ashkenazi Jewish]] culture and traditional learning until the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marcus |first=Joseph |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEfDKjjX5AEC&dq=%22Poland%2Bcentre%2Bof%2Bjewish%2Bculture%22&pg=PR7 |title=Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland 1919–1939 |date=2011 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |isbn=978-3-11-083868-8 |location=Boston |page=7 |access-date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=2 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002180503/https://books.google.com/books?id=oEfDKjjX5AEC&pg=PR7&dq=%22Poland+centre+of+jewish+culture%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Contemporary religious minorities include [[Polish Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]], [[Protestantism|Protestants]], including [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] of the [[Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland|Evangelical-Augsburg Church]], [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] in the [[Pentecostal Church in Poland]], [[Adventists]] in the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], and other smaller [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] denominations, including [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholics]], [[Mariavite Church|Mariavites]], [[History of the Jews in Poland|Jews]], [[Islam in Poland|Muslims]] ([[Tatars]]), and [[Modern Paganism|neopagans]], some of whom are members of the [[Native Polish Church]].<ref name="Central Statistical Office 2008" />

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Poland}}
Medical service providers and [[hospitals]] in Poland are subordinate to the [[Ministry of Health of the Republic of Poland|Ministry of Health]]; it provides administrative oversight and scrutiny of general medical practice, and is obliged to maintain a high standard of [[hygiene]] and patient care. Poland has a [[Universal health care|universal healthcare system]] based on an all-inclusive [[Health insurance|insurance system]]; state subsidised healthcare is available to all citizens covered by the general health insurance programme of the [[National Health Fund]] (NFZ). Private medical complexes exist nationwide; over 50% of the population uses both public and private sectors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niecierpliwi |url=https://www.termedia.pl/mz/Niecierpliwi,34562.html |website=www.termedia.pl |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531133259/https://www.termedia.pl/mz/Niecierpliwi,34562.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2018 |title=Prywatnie leczy się już ponad połowa Polaków |url=https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/wiadomosci/artykul/prywatnie-leczy-sie-juz-ponad-polowa-polakow,218,0,2416090.html#:~:text=Z%20danych%20Polskiej%20Izby%20Ubezpiecze%C5%84%20wynika%2C%20%C5%BCe%20ponad%20po%C5%82owa%20Polak%C3%B3w,Tylko%2038%20proc. |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601045546/https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/wiadomosci/artykul/prywatnie-leczy-sie-juz-ponad-polowa-polakow,218,0,2416090.html#:~:text=Z%20danych%20Polskiej%20Izby%20Ubezpiecze%C5%84%20wynika%2C%20%C5%BCe%20ponad%20po%C5%82owa%20Polak%C3%B3w,Tylko%2038%20proc. |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="justlanded" />

According to the [[HDI|Human Development Report]] from 2020, the average life expectancy at birth is 79 years (around 75 years for an infant male and 83 years for an infant female);<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nations |first=United |date=2020 |title=Poland – Human Development Indicators |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/POL |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=16 December 2020 |website=Human Development Reports |archive-date=28 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128095417/http://www.hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/POL |url-status=live }}</ref> the country has a low [[infant mortality rate]] (4 per 1,000 births).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) &#124; Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |website=data.worldbank.org |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425025221/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, the principal cause of death was [[ischemic heart disease]]; diseases of the [[circulatory system]] accounted for 45% of all deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poland: Country Health Profile 2019 &#124; READ online |url=https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/poland-country-health-profile-2019_297e4b92-en |website=OECD iLibrary |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223070948/https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/poland-country-health-profile-2019_297e4b92-en |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same year, Poland was also the 15th-largest importer of [[medications]] and pharmaceutical products.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2020 |title=Imports of Drugs and Medicines by Country |url=http://www.worldstopexports.com/international-markets-for-imported-drugs-by-country/ |website=World's Top Exports |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211225831/https://www.worldstopexports.com/international-markets-for-imported-drugs-by-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Poland|Universities in Poland}}
[[File:Krakow Collegium Maius - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Jagiellonian University]] in [[Kraków]], one of the world's oldest institutions of higher learning]]

The [[Jagiellonian University]] founded in 1364 by [[Casimir III the Great|Casimir III]] in [[Kraków]] was the first institution of higher learning established in Poland, and is one of the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest universities]] still in continuous operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History – Jagiellonian University – Jagiellonian University |url=https://en.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/about-university/history |website=en.uj.edu.pl |access-date=3 December 2020 |archive-date=13 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213000720/https://en.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/about-university/history |url-status=live }}</ref> Poland's [[Commission of National Education]] (''Komisja Edukacji Narodowej''), established in 1773, was the world's first state ministry of education.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jan IJ. van der Meer |url={{GBurl|id=-98Z_F7SWroC|p=233}} |title=Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System? |publisher=Rodopi |year=2002 |isbn=978-90-420-0933-2 |page=233 |access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Norman Davies |url=https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0 |title=God's Playground: 1795 to the present |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-231-12819-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0/page/167 167] |oclc=660185612 |author-link=Norman Davies |url-access=registration}}</ref> In 2018, the [[Programme for International Student Assessment]], coordinated by the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]], placed Poland's educational output as one of the highest in the OECD, ranking 5th by student attainment and 6th by student performance in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/education/ |title=Better life index. Education |date=2024 |website=oecdbetterlifeindex.org |publisher=OECD |access-date=5 October 2024}}</ref> The study showed that students in Poland perform better academically than in most OECD countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=PISA publications |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_POL.pdf |access-date=30 June 2022 |publisher=OECD}}</ref>

The framework for primary, secondary and higher tertiary education are established by the [[Ministry of National Education (Poland)|Ministry of Education and Science]]. One year of kindergarten is [[compulsory education|compulsory]] for six-year-olds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zmiany w wychowaniu przedszkolnym - Informacje - Wychowanie przedszkolne w Polsce - wiek, obowiązek, miejsce, opłaty - dlaprzedszkolaka.info |url=https://www.dlaprzedszkolaka.info/s/4146/77362-Informacje/4080018-Zmiany-w-wychowaniu-przedszkolnym.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125190653/https://www.dlaprzedszkolaka.info/s/4146/77362-Informacje/4080018-Zmiany-w-wychowaniu-przedszkolnym.htm |archive-date=25 November 2020 |access-date=3 December 2020 |website=www.dlaprzedszkolaka.info |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref name="Sejm 2016">{{Cite web |title=Ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. |url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20170000059/T/D20170059L.pdf |access-date=30 June 2022 |website=isap.sejm.gov.pl |language=pl |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110085743/http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20170000059/T/D20170059L.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Primary education traditionally begins at the age of seven, although children aged six can attend at the request of their parents or guardians.<ref name="Sejm 2016" /> Elementary school spans eight grades and secondary schooling is dependent on student preference – a four-year high school (''[[General education liceum|liceum]]''), a five-year technical school (''[[Technikum (Polish education)|technikum]]'') or various [[vocational school|vocational studies]] (''szkoła branżowa'') can be pursued by individual pupils.<ref name="Sejm 2016" /> A liceum or technikum is concluded with a maturity exit exam (''[[matura]]''), which must be passed in order to apply for a university or other institutions of higher learning.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MATURA 2020 &#124; wymagania na STUDIA &#124; jak wygląda &#124; terminy |url=https://www.otouczelnie.pl/artykul/4578/Matura-2020-i-wszystko-co-trzeba-o-niej-wiedziec |website=otouczelnie.pl}}</ref>

In Poland, there are over 500 university-level institutions,<ref>Central Statistical Office: [http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_E_szkoly_wyzsze_2008.pdf Studenci szkół wyższych (łącznie z cudzoziemcami) na dzień 30 XI 2008.] Number of students at Poland's institutions of higher education, as of 30 November 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2012. Archived at [https://web.archive.org/web/20081028221046/http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_maly_rocznik_statystyczny_2008.pdf Archive.org] on 28 October 2008. {{in lang|pl}}</ref> with numerous faculties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study in Poland |url=https://studies.info/en/country/poland |access-date=27 March 2019 |website=studies.info |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090036/https://studies.info/en/country/poland |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[University of Warsaw]] and [[Warsaw Polytechnic]], the [[University of Wrocław]], [[Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań]] and the [[Gdańsk University of Technology|University of Technology in Gdańsk]] are among the most prominent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ranking Uczelni Akademickich – Ranking Szkół Wyższych PERSPEKTYWY 2019 |url=http://ranking.perspektywy.pl/2019/ranking-uczelni-akademickich |website=ranking.perspektywy.pl}}</ref> There are three conventional [[academic degree]]s in Poland – ''[[Licentiate (degree)|licencjat]]'' or ''[[Bachelor's degree|inżynier]]'' (first cycle), ''[[magister (degree)|magister]]'' (second cycle) and ''[[PhD|doktor]]'' (third cycle qualification).<ref name="OECD 2009" />