Poland (Republic of Poland)

Poland Republic of Poland
Status	Independent State
Capital	Warsaw
Land Area	304 150km21
Location	Europe
Population	38.3m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	77.62yrs (2017)3
GNI	$24 117 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	PL, POL, 6165
Internet Domain	.pl6
Currency	Zloty (PLN)7
Telephone	+488

1. Overview
2. Poland National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom
5. Peace Versus Instability
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. Children's Health
10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
11. Links

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1. Overview

“Poland's history as a state begins near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in central and eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorders weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force with over ten million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the Communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Chic medieval hot spots like Kraków and Gdansk vie with energetic Warsaw for your urban attention. Outside the cities, forests, rivers, lakes and hills beckon for some fresh-air fun. If they were handing out prizes for `most eventful history´, Poland would be sure to get a medal. The nation has spent centuries at the pointy end of history, grappling with war and invasion. Nothing, however, has succeeded in suppressing the Poles´ strong cultural identity. As a result, centres such as bustling Warsaw and cultured Kraków exude a sophisticated energy that´s a heady mix of old and new.

Away from the cities, Poland offers a diverse range of experiences, from swimming on its Baltic Sea beaches to skiing or hiking in its magnificent mountains. Everywhere in between are towns and cities dotted with ruined castles, picturesque squares, colourful houses and historic churches.Although prices are slowly rising as its economy gathers momentum, Poland is still good value for travellers year-round. As the Polish people work on combining their national identity with their place in Europe, it´s a fascinating time to visit this beautiful country.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Poland National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
33	Malta	33
34	Qatar	33
35	Cyprus	33
36	Poland	36
37	Lithuania	37
38	Chile	38
39	Saudi Arabia	38
40	Slovakia	40
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	83.6
2	Finland	83.1
3	Sweden	82.6
	...
28	Hungary	70.5
29	Portugal	70.3
30	USA	68.3
31	Poland	68.2
32	Cyprus	67.1
33	Latvia	67.0
34	Slovakia	66.2
35	Uruguay	65.9
	World Avg	55.4
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #overpopulation #Poland #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
157	Lithuania	36.0
158	Czechia	36.1
159	Cuba	36.2
160	Poland	36.3
161	Singapore	36.5
162	Latvia	36.7
163	Sweden	37.0
164	Bulgaria	37.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
76	Somalia	8.7%
77	Kuwait	8.5%
78	Ecuador	8.3%
79	Poland	8.3%
80	Afghanistan	8.1%
81	Paraguay	7.9%
82	Russia	7.9%
83	Mali	7.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
97	Hungary	1.42
98	Romania	1.42
99	Japan	1.40
100	Poland	1.40
101	Nepal	2.60
102	Macedonia	1.40
103	Fiji	2.61
104	S. Korea	1.38
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5%
2	Monaco	71.6%
3	UAE	70.0%
	...
117	Liberia	2.3%
118	Pakistan	2.3%
119	Cambodia	2.2%
120	Poland	2.2%
121	Fiji	2.2%
122	Yemen	2.1%
123	Kenya	2.0%
124	Kiribati	2.0%
	World Avg	9.2%
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
40	Albania	77.97
41	Dominica	77.85
42	Panama	77.76
43	Poland	77.62
44	Croatia	77.50
45	Uruguay	77.35
46	UAE	77.12
47	Estonia	77.01
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		Population17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
30	Ukraine	44.9m
31	Kenya	42.7m
32	Argentina	41.1m
33	Poland	38.3m
34	Algeria	36.5m
35	Uganda	35.6m
36	Sudan	35.0m
37	Canada	34.7m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Poland's population is predicted to fall to 37 835 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.40. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Human Rights, Equality and Freedom

#equality #freedom #human_rights #Poland #politics #tolerance

Poland performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Poland comes in the best 20 in the year from which women could participate in democracy₁₈. It does better than average in supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₁₉, supporting press freedom₂₀, its Global Peace Index rating₂₁, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₂ (but bad for Europe), its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₃, opposing gender inequality₂₄, fighting corruption₂₅, LGBT equality₂₆ and in eliminating modern slavery₂₇. Poland does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of fighting anti-semitic opinions₂₈ (one of the highest in Europe). Human Rights Watch have sounded warnings that in 2017, Poland "continued to undermine the rule of law and human rights protection during the year"₂₉. Poland is Europe's most Catholic country and has the region's most restrictive abortion laws in Europe₃₀ but in 2017 made access to emergency contraception even more limited₃₀, as part of its overall commitment to making family planning impossible, even in cases of extreme poverty. Such religious-based doctrine should only be accepted voluntarily by believers, not be forced upon the populace as a whole.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Poland

5. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #Poland #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
104	Latvia	104
105	Laos	105
106	Mozambique	106
107	Poland	107
108	Ukraine	108
109	Belgium	109
110	Panama	110
111	Equatorial Guinea	111
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
21	Ireland	21
22	Costa Rica	22
23	Thailand	23
24	Poland	24
25	S. Africa	25
26	Chile	26
27	Panama	27
28	Portugal	28
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Global Peace Index (2012)21
Pos.		Lower is better21
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
21	Mauritius	1.49
22	Australia	1.49
23	Singapore	1.52
24	Poland	1.52
25	Spain	1.55
26	Slovakia	1.59
27	Taiwan	1.60
28	Netherlands	1.61
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

"The 2012 Global Peace Index is the sixth edition of the world's leading study on global levels of peacefulness. The GPI ranks 158 nations using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, which gauge three broad themes: the level of safety and security in society; the extent of domestic or international conflict; and the degree of militarisation. By generating new information on the state of peace at the national and global level, the Institute for Economics and Peace hopes to make a valuable contribution to better understanding how civil society, researchers, policymakers, and government can create a more peaceful society"₂₁. The most peaceable countries in the world are Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark₂₁ and the worst are Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan₂₁.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)32
Pos.		Lower is better Score32
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
42	Lithuania	0.46
43	Sierra Leone	0.46
44	Jamaica	0.47
45	Poland	0.48
46	Gabon	0.55
47	Malawi	0.66
48	Azerbaijan	0.70
49	Czechia	0.87
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

6. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #universalism

Religiosity (2009)33
Pos.		Lower is better %33
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
39	Kyrgyzstan	72
40	Armenia	73
41	Mexico	73
42	Poland	75
43	Cyprus	75
44	Macedonia	76
45	Bosnia & Herzegovina	77
46	Venezuela	79
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)34
Pos.		Higher is better %34
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
61	Uzbekistan	4
62	Lebanon	3
63	Congo, (Brazzaville)	3
64	Poland	3
65	Jamaica	3
66	India	3
67	Angola	2
68	Chile	2
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₅:

Christian	94.3%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	5.6%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 94.8% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 75% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 89.8% [about 75% practicing], Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)₃₆.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Poland₃₇. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 20%. More people don't know what to believe (32%). Some believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (21%). Also, 1% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 7% believe in reincarnation.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union produced a report in 2012 entitled "Freedom of Thought" (2012)₃₈, in which they document bias and prejudice at the national level that is based on religion, belief and/or lack of belief. Their entry for Poland states:

“The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief. However, Poland's penal code states "Whoever offends religious feelings of other people by publicly insulting an object of religious cult or a place for public holding of religious ceremonies, is subject to a fine, restriction of liberty or loss of liberty for up to 2 years."

Cases of Discrimination

[...]

In January 2012, Dorota Rabczewska, a popular musician better known as Doda, was fined US $1,450 for "offending religious feelings" when she said in an interview that the Bible is full of "unbelievable tales" and that "it's hard to believe in something written down by someone drunk on wine and smoking some kind of herbs."

In October 2012, Poland's Supreme Court opened the way for a blasphemy verdict against another musician, Adam Darksi. Darski, who uses the stage name Nergal, is the lead singer of a heavy metal group named Behemoth. During a concert in 2007 Darski ripped up a Bible and called it deceitful and described the Roman Catholic Church as "a criminal sect". He was tried for "offending religious feelings". A lower court dismissed the charges, but the Supreme Court was then asked to rule on the legal arguments arising from the case. The Supreme Court ruled that Darski could be convicted of the crime of "offending religious feelings" even if he did not act with the "direct intention" of offending those feelings. That interpretation closed off an argument used by lawyers for Darski, who said he had not committed a crime because he did not intend to offend anyone. The case therefore returns to a lower court. If found guilty, Darski faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail, under Poland's criminal code.

”

"Freedom of Thought" by IHEU (2012)₃₉

Once, Poland was known for its long series of atrocities against Jews, especially during the Holocaust of the 1940s but in modern times there is now (thankfully) "a significant renascence of Jewish culture" in Poland₄₀.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#internet #it_security #Poland #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)41
Pos.		Higher is better41
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
48	Macau	73%
49	Israel	73%
50	Guam	73%
51	Poland	72%
52	Brunei	72%
53	Slovenia	72%
54	Cyprus	72%
55	Russia	71%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)42
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio42
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
34	Macau	4.2
35	Singapore	4.0
36	Sweden	3.8
37	Poland	3.6
38	Thailand	3.3
39	Denmark	3.1
40	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.1
41	Sri Lanka	2.9
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

IT Security (2013)43
Pos.		Lower is better43
1	Ireland	0.11
2	Luxembourg	0.11
3	Belize	0.11
	...
18	Sweden	0.44
19	Romania	0.52
20	Turkey	0.52
21	Poland	0.55
22	Switzerland	0.55
23	S. Korea	0.56
24	Australia	0.63
25	Libya	0.63
	World Avg	0.98
q=81.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #genetics #health #mental_health #obesity #organ_donation #Poland #public_health #smoking #sociology #suicide #UK

Poland has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Poland does better than average in number of organ donors₄₄ (but low for Europe), its immunizations take-up₄₅, its adolescent birth rate₂₄ (but high for Europe) and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁ (but high for Europe). Poland does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its suicide rate₄₆, the prevalence of overweight adults₄₇ and in its smoking rate₄₈. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its alcohol consumption rate₄₉. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)49
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita49
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
170	Switzerland	11.5
171	Austria	11.6
172	Estonia	11.6
173	Poland	11.6
174	Russia	11.7
175	Seychelles	12.0
176	Belgium	12.1
177	Portugal	12.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₅₀ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₅₁ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₅₂ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₅₃. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₅₄. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

Organ Donors (At Death) (2017)44
Pos.		Higher is better pmp44
1	Spain	46.9055
2	Portugal	34.0155
3	Belgium	33.6255
	...
26	Luxembourg	15.87
27	Slovakia	15.80
28	New Zealand	15.2355
29	Poland	14.5755
30	Netherlands	14.41
31	Lithuania	14.30
32	Estonia	13.85
33	Argentina	13.6555
	World Avg	13.03
q=70.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
76	Malta	76
77	Guatemala	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Poland	79
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)47
Pos.		Lower is better %47
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
121	Macedonia	58.1
122	Nicaragua	58.2
123	Norway	58.3
124	Poland	58.3
125	Ukraine	58.4
126	Cuba	58.5
127	Italy	58.5
128	Luxembourg	58.7
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₅₆. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₅₇. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₅₇ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₅₈ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₅₉. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₆₀. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₆₁.

Smoking Rates (2014)48
Pos.		Lower is better48
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
145	Cuba	1 392
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
147	Netherlands	1 396
148	Poland	1 396
149	Italy	1 443
150	Germany	1 480
151	Bulgaria	1 505
152	Kuwait	1 517
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)46
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k46
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
67	Czechia	28.3
68	Suriname	28.7
69	Hong Kong	29.7
70	Poland	30.5
71	Austria	30.9
72	Uruguay	32.3
73	France	33.2
74	Moldova	35.7
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. Children's Health

#health #parenting #Poland #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)24
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100024
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
40	Montenegro	12.2
41	Lebanon	12.4
42	Estonia	13.1
43	Poland	13.4
44	Bahrain	13.5
45	Malaysia	13.6
46	Latvia	13.6
47	Australia	14.1
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)45
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %45
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
39	Jordan	96.6
40	Brunei	96.6
41	Spain	96.5
42	Poland	96.5
43	Libya	96.4
44	St Kitts & Nevis	96.3
45	Bahamas	96.2
46	Maldives	96.2
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

10. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries