Poland (Republic of Poland)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Comments:
FB, LJ

Poland Republic of Poland
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	31st best
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

#germany #poland #russia

“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

#economics #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.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
44	Lithuania	$26 006
45	Greece	$24 808
46	Malaysia	$24 620
47	Poland	$24 117
48	Seychelles	$23 886
49	Hungary	$23 394
50	Russia	$23 286
51	Latvia	$22 589
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Denmark	28.3
2	Norway	29.1
3	Finland	29.7
	...
27	USA	50.0
28	Singapore	50.4
29	Portugal	51.3
30	Poland	52.4
31	Slovakia	55.7
32	Costa Rica	56.6
33	Malta	57.7
34	Cyprus	57.8
	World Avg	86.9
q=195.

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: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Poland's Demographics

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

Population:

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.

Population (2012)₁₅
Pos.		Population₁₅
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.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
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.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
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.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₇
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.

Migration:

Immigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
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.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
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.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#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 democracy. It does better than average for supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₁₉, supporting press freedom₂₀, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁ (but low for Europe), its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₂, opposing gender inequality₂₃ and in eliminating modern slavery₂₄. Poland does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₅ (amongst 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"₂₆. Poland is Europe's most Catholic country and has the region's most restrictive abortion laws in Europe₂₇ but in 2017 made access to emergency contraception even more limited₂₇, 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. Poland's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #Poland #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Health (2020)₂₈_,₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₈_,₂₉
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
53	Brazil	81.0
54	Macedonia	81.5
55	Malta	81.6
56	Poland	82.5
57	Albania	82.8
58	Croatia	82.9
59	France	82.9
60	Vietnam	83.0
61	Czechia	83.0
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₈. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₈.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and Europe, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Health:

Poland does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Poland comes in the best 20 in its fertility rate₁₆. It does better than average in its immunizations take-up₃₀, its adolescent birth rate₂₃ (but high for Europe), its average life expectancy₁₂ and in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁ (but bad for Europe). Poland does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of its suicide rate₃₂ and in its smoking rate₃₃. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in its alcohol consumption rate₃₄. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
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.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₄
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.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
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.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₃
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
151	Bulgaria	1 505
150	Germany	1 480
149	Italy	1 443
148	Poland	1 396
147	Netherlands	1 396
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
145	Cuba	1 392
144	Georgia	1 378
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₃₂
Pos.		Per 100k₃₂
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.

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)₃₅
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₅
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.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₃
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)₃₀
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₀
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.

6. Poland's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #religion #research #science #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₆
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
27	Israel	26.0
28	Portugal	27.0
29	Latvia	27.3
30	Poland	28.1
31	Spain	28.8
32	Greece	29.3
33	Lithuania	30.5
34	Italy	33.5
35	Argentina	33.7
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₇
2	Israel	4.11₃₇
3	Japan	3.58₃₇
	...
33	Malaysia	1.13₃₈
34	Turkey	1.01₃₇
35	Lithuania	0.95₃₉
36	Poland	0.94₃₇
37	Slovakia	0.89₃₇
38	Malta	0.89₃₉
39	Greece	0.84₃₇
40	India	0.82₄₀
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₁
Pos.		Higher is better₄₁
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
48	Ireland	88.3%
49	Netherlands	88.3%
50	Cuba	87.4%
51	Poland	85.3%
52	Belgium	84.8%
53	UK	84.5%
54	Jordan	84.0%
55	France	83.5%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₂
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
21	Hong Kong	16.5
22	Lithuania	16.5
23	Turkey	16.4
24	Poland	16.4
25	S. Korea	16.4
26	Uruguay	16.3
27	Singapore	16.3
28	Portugal	16.3
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₁
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
20	Australia	20
21	Germany	21
22	Grenada	22
23	Poland	23
24	France	24
25	S. Africa	25
26	Singapore	26
27	Greece	27
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading (2015)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better Score₄₃
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
16	New Zealand	1517
17	Norway	1513
18	Denmark	1513
19	Poland	1511
20	Belgium	1508
21	Vietnam	1507
22	Australia	1507
23	UK	1499
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity (2009)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
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.

IQ (2006)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
13	Austria	100
14	UK	100
15	New Zealand	99
16	Poland	99
17	Germany	99
18	Finland	99
19	Estonia	99
20	Sweden	99
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
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.

IT Security (2013)₄₇
Pos.		Lower is better₄₇
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.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₈
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.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Personal Charitability (World Position, 2013-2016)₄₉
Pos.		Lower is better₄₉
1	Myanmar (Burma)	1.25
2	USA	1.5
3	New Zealand	3.5
	...
106	Ivory Coast	93.33
107	Burkina Faso	93.75
108	Belarus	94.75
109	Poland	96.5
110	Macedonia	98.75
111	Romania	99.75
112	Cambodia	99.75
113	Ukraine	100
	World Avg	68.1185897435897
q=156.

Life Satisfaction (2011)₅₀
Pos.		Higher is better₅₀
1	Denmark	7.8
2	Norway	7.6
3	Netherlands	7.6
	...
57	Turkmenistan	5.8
58	Nicaragua	5.7
59	Jordan	5.7
60	Poland	5.6
61	Ghana	5.6
62	Peru	5.6
63	Croatia	5.6
64	Montenegro	5.5
	World Avg	5.4
q=150.

Corruption (2012-2016)₅₁
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₅₁
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
34	St Vincent & Grenadines	61.5
35	Israel	61.2
36	Taiwan	61.2
37	Poland	60.8
38	Spain	60.0
39	Slovenia	59.4
40	Dominica	58.3
41	Cape Verde	57.8
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Happiness (2018)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better₅₂
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
39	Slovakia	6.2
40	El Salvador	6.2
41	Nicaragua	6.1
42	Poland	6.1
43	Bahrain	6.1
44	Uzbekistan	6.1
45	Kuwait	6.1
46	Thailand	6.1
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₁
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
18	Barbados	18
19	Hungary	19
20	Slovakia	20
21	Poland	21
22	Norway	22
23	Lithuania	23
24	St Lucia	24
25	Canada	25
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₃₁
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
43	Morocco	43
44	Fiji	44
45	Bosnia & Herzegovina	45
46	Poland	46
47	Japan	47
48	Armenia	48
49	UAE	49
50	Greece	50
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₅₃
Pos.		Lower is better₅₃
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.

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.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₄
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₄
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.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₅
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
51	Cyprus	07.2
52	Fiji	06.7
53	Laos	06.3
54	Poland	06.3
55	Liechtenstein	06.2
56	Latvia	05.8
57	Uzbekistan	05.7
58	New Zealand	05.1
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₆
Pos.		Higher is better₅₆
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
47	Uruguay	64.7
48	Estonia	64.3
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
51	Venezuela	63.9
52	Russia	63.8
53	Brunei	63.6
54	Morocco	63.5
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency (2014)₅₇
Pos.		Higher is better₅₇
1	Hong Kong	26.32
2	Sri Lanka	20.00
3	Panama	17.86
	...
52	Lebanon	09.90
53	Hungary	09.80
54	Latvia	09.80
55	Poland	09.71
56	Argentina	09.35
57	Pakistan	09.26
58	Montenegro	09.17
59	Slovakia	09.09
	World Avg	09.29
q=119.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
137	Singapore	1996 Mar 20
138	Syria	1996 Apr 03
139	Suriname	1996 Apr 11
140	Poland	1996 Apr 17
141	Lithuania	1996 May 01
142	Yemen	1996 May 21
143	Niue	1996 May 28
144	Madagascar	1996 Jun 02
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₄
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)₅₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₈
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 below₅₉:

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)₆₀.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Poland₆₁. 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)₆₂, 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)₆₃

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 Poland₆₄.

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