Demographic changes in Polish cities in the years 1950-2016

Abstract

The study presented the demographic development of big cities (≥100,000 inhabitants) in Poland from 1950 to 2016. The article demonstrates the similarities and differences in these cities’ demographic development, showing demographic trends in Poland’s various periods of socio-economic development using the graphical trajectory method. Presented study on demographic development of Polish cities using trajectories shows it as additional useful tool in analyses of demographic development of cities, regions and other territorial units. It was indicated that this simple graphic picture opens new interpretative possibilities, it demonstrates development stages, shows both the process nature (demographic development of cities in this case), or if this nature is progressive or regressive process. Trajectory method let us read dynamics of changes of a particular process (distances between subsequent trajectories points).