Children in Poland - statistics & facts
Fewer and fewer children are being born in Poland. Over the past 70 years, the number of newborns and the fertility rate dramatically decreased. The main reasons why fewer children were born in Poland were women's wages being too low and fear of losing their jobs. These concerns can be confirmed by the fact that the cost of raising children is only trending upward. In 2021, the cost of raising two children under 18 was as high as 439 thousand zloty. The age of women choosing to have offspring has also changed over the years. In 2021, the highest percentage of women giving birth was in the 30-34 age group, whereas twenty years ago, it was in the 20-24 age bracket.
There is no denying that parents play a crucial role in raising a child. Most parents believe that a child should be taught to respect others, and the most important thing is mutual understanding. The most common difficulty for fathers in raising their children was fatigue and lack of time for themselves. Nevertheless, more than half of them devoted enough time to their child.
Media is an integral part of children's lives and is becoming increasingly apparent. Many children spend their free time using a phone or tablet. Use is especially prevalent among older children, with the majority of 10 to 15-year-olds owning a smartphone. Nevertheless, more than half of younger children between the ages of 9 and 10 have access to electrical devices such as their own desktop computer, tablet, or phone. Kids usually start using the internet at ages 7 to 8. Such widespread media in children's lives also comes with risks. In 2022, the biggest threat to children using the internet was becoming a victim of cyber violence, manifested through stalking and bullying. The media present in daily life has also been the source of the emergence of FOMO and caused a lot of additional anxiety.
Education and family relations
The number of parents choosing to send their children to kindergartens is growing every year. Since the 2005/2006 school year, the number of kids in kindergartens in Poland has steadily increased, reaching nearly 1.2 million in the 2021/22 school year. In the same year, more than 3.1 million children attended primary schools. A child's start of school also comes at a cost. In the 2022/2023 school year, parents with two children spent an average of 1.8 thousand zloty on school supplies. The highest expenses involved the purchase of textbooks.There is no denying that parents play a crucial role in raising a child. Most parents believe that a child should be taught to respect others, and the most important thing is mutual understanding. The most common difficulty for fathers in raising their children was fatigue and lack of time for themselves. Nevertheless, more than half of them devoted enough time to their child.
Children's behavior and modern threats
A child's sense of security and belonging is essential to his development. Sixty-eight percent of children in 2021 had their own room where they most enjoyed doing their own thing. Children spend their free time from school and chores watching TV, playing outside with their peers, and playing with toys. In contrast, the most frequently chosen paid extracurricular activity was language lessons.Media is an integral part of children's lives and is becoming increasingly apparent. Many children spend their free time using a phone or tablet. Use is especially prevalent among older children, with the majority of 10 to 15-year-olds owning a smartphone. Nevertheless, more than half of younger children between the ages of 9 and 10 have access to electrical devices such as their own desktop computer, tablet, or phone. Kids usually start using the internet at ages 7 to 8. Such widespread media in children's lives also comes with risks. In 2022, the biggest threat to children using the internet was becoming a victim of cyber violence, manifested through stalking and bullying. The media present in daily life has also been the source of the emergence of FOMO and caused a lot of additional anxiety.
