Demographic Potential of the Länder of Eastern Germany and Voivodships of Eastern Poland

Abstract

The paper seeks to compare the potential and dynamics of the demographic changes in the Länder of Eastern German and the voivodships of Eastern Poland. To achieve this aim, the author used the following methods: analysis of the literature, descriptive statistics, and clustering analysis. Data for the years 2004-2016, published by Eurostat, were used for the analysis.

The results of the research show that a common feature of the demographic situation of the voivodships of Eastern Poland and the eastern German Länder was a constant decline in the birth rate. All of the analyzed voivodships and three of the Länder were characterized by a negative migration balance. Only in Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony was a positive migration balance registered, which compensates for the negative population growth. The emigration of mainly young people is accelerating a change in the age structure to a more unfavorable and generally aging population in the outflow regions. Despite the dynamics of this process in voivodships of Eastern Poland being twice as high as in East Germany Länder, population aging in Eastern Poland is much smaller.