The question of ‘country of birth’ in the light of the results of the national censuses in Poland (2002-2011-2021)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to compare data on ‘country of birth’ from the last three general censuses conducted in Poland in 2002, 2011 and 2021. I draw attention to the ongoing change in the origin and nature of the community of people declaring a country of birth other than Poland. This change consists in a gradual decrease in such declarations from the oldest generation of people who found themselves in Poland after the end of World War II and the change of the country’s borders as part of the repatriation policy pursued at the time, and a gradual increase in the number of young people who were born in Western European countries, which were the main destinations of post-accession migration after 2004. In this way, an analysis of the responses to the census question about ‘country of birth’ over the last two decades can provide an interesting insight into the current migration and demographic changes in Poland. They testify to a change in the migration status of our country, which has evolved from a country closed to immigration with a deep post-war migration history to a country that experiences both emigration and, currently, immigration.