A growing divide is becoming increasingly visible across Poland. On one side, several regions are gaining hundreds of thousands of residents; on the other, others are losing people at a similar pace. New data released by Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) clearly shows that this demographic fault line not only exists but is widening year after year. Even record levels of immigration have failed to reverse the trend.
There are now approximately 2.3 million foreign nationals living in Poland—more than 200,000 more than a year ago. Despite this, the country’s population continues to shrink. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, Poland’s population stood at 37.28 million, around 155,000 fewer than a year earlier. The country is increasingly splitting into two very different realities.
Five Regions Continue to Attract Residents
Over the past 25 years, only five voivodeships (provinces) have recorded positive internal migration balances.
The Mazowieckie region gained approximately 320,000 residents, followed by Małopolskie (+93,000), Pomorskie(+83,000), Wielkopolskie (+47,000), and Dolnośląskie (+40,000). These regions are home to Poland’s largest cities, leading universities, major investments, and the strongest job markets. Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Poznań, and Wrocław continue to attract both Poles relocating from other parts of the country and foreign nationals settling in Poland.
The municipalities surrounding these metropolitan areas have been growing even faster. Piaseczno near Warsaw, Wieliczka near Kraków, Siechnice near Wrocław, and Reda near the Tri-City area have ranked among Poland’s fastest-growing localities for years. Notably, Mazowieckie remains the only province with a positive migration balance in both urban and rural areas.
What Is Happening on the Other Side?
Several regions have been steadily losing residents for years.
The Lubelskie province has lost around 124,000 people, Śląskie 80,000, Warmińsko-Mazurskie 66,000, Świętokrzyskie 65,000, and Podkarpackie 58,000. Combined, these regions have seen an outflow of more than 390,000 residents. In many of them, the decline has become a long-term and accelerating trend.
Young people continue to move to Poland’s largest cities or abroad. As a result, many counties are increasingly populated by older residents. Student numbers are falling, schools are closing, public transport services are being reduced, and access to essential services is becoming more limited.
More Foreign Nationals, Same Trend
The record number of foreign nationals has not changed the overall picture.
New GUS data published on July 1 shows that around 2.3 million foreigners now live in Poland—an increase of 215,000 compared with a year earlier. One might expect such an influx to slow the country’s depopulation, but the reality is different.
Foreign nationals overwhelmingly settle in regions where economic growth was already strong, where new jobs are being created, and where large employers operate. Most choose Poland’s largest cities and their surrounding areas. As a result, the country’s strongest regions continue to grow even faster, while provinces already experiencing population losses have yet to reverse the negative trend.
Meanwhile, GUS data confirms that Poland’s overall population continues to decline. During the first quarter of 2026 alone, the country lost approximately 51,000 residents.
The Divide Is Expected to Deepen
According to GUS’s experimental population forecast, the vast majority of Poland’s counties will have fewer residents in 2060 than they do today. However, the pace of decline will vary considerably.
The Mazowieckie and Pomorskie regions are expected to remain the country’s youngest and continue attracting new residents. By contrast, provinces such as Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Opolskie, and Podkarpackie are projected to age the fastest. In these regions, the share of senior citizens is expected to increase by more than 13 percentage points by 2060.