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POLAND

Poland today is ethnically almost homogeneous (98% Polish), in contrast with the pre-World War II period, when there were significant ethnic minorities– 4.5 million Ukrainians, 3 million Jews, 1 million Belorussians, and 800,000 Germans. The majority of the Jews were murdered during the German occupation in World War II, and many others emigrated in the succeeding years.

Most Germans left Poland at the end of the war, while many Ukrainians and Belorussians lived in territories incorporated into the U.S.S.R. Small Ukrainian, Belorussian, Slovakian, and Lithuanian minorities reside along the borders, and a German minority is concentrated near the southwest city of Opole.
POPULATION GRAPH

Population:

38,482,919 (July 2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 35

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15% (male 2,964,995/female 2,802,278)
15-64 years: 71.6% (male 13,713,078/female 13,845,251)
65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,966,406/female 3,190,911) (2009 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.9 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 39.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.047% (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 210

Birth rate:

10.04 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 195

Death rate:

10.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 64

Net migration rate:

-0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 110

Urbanization:

urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 172
male: 7.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.63 years
country comparison to the world: 75
male: 71.65 years
female: 79.85 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.28 children born/woman (2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 209

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2007 est.)

country comparison to the world: 127

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

20,000 (2007 est.)

country comparison to the world: 79

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2007 est.)

country comparison to the world: 120

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Nationality:

noun: Pole(s)
adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups:

Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Languages:

Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005)

country comparison to the world: 51