Kid production slow-down

In the mostly Catholic country of Poland, 80 % of Poles declare that family is the most important thing to them. But, they are increasingly refusing to have children and start a family.

In the past decade the number of divorces increased by 30 % and the number of unmarried people living together doubled.

This, combined with the economic slowdown, has further dragged down the Polish birth rate to 1.3 children per woman, already among the lowest in the EU where the average is 1.58, is putting stress on economic growth.

In the past societal stability was in part due to close and expanding family ties. While quality of life has improved after the fall of socialism and even though Poles long for stability, they are afraid to live formalized lives and commit themselves to traditional social relationships.