Regional differentiation of demographic transformations in urban and rural populations across Polish voivodeships

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the spatial differentiation in the level of demographic ageing of Poland’s population. The temporal scope of the analyses covers the years 2005–2024, as well as projections for the period 2030–2050. The research was conducted at the voivodeship level, and took into account the division between urban and rural areas. The study focused on the analysis of two measures that enable the identification of demographic changes, including the advancement of the ageing process: the demographic ageing rate index (Wstd) and the old-age index (Ist). The results of the analyses revealed differences in the degree of advancement of the ageing process over time, in spatial terms, and between urban and rural populations. The rural population has been ageing more slowly than the urban population across the voivodeships. The forecasts, however, indicate that in the future the average annual rate of population ageing will slow down.