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Poland SOCIETY
Population: According to 1981 official estimate,
36.1
million. According to 1991 official estimate, 38.3
million;
projected 2000 population, 39.5 million.
Ethnic Groups and Languages: About 98 percent of
population ethnic Poles; largest minority groups
Ukrainians,
Belarusians, and Germans; estimates of minority
populations vary
greatly. Polish, a West Slavic language, official and
universally
used; regional dialects do not impede communication.
Religion: About 96 percent of population Roman
Catholic, according to 1991 survey; small numbers in
various
Protestant and Orthodox denominations and small Jewish
population.
Education: About 98 percent of population over
age
fifteen literate. Eight grades of primary school
compulsory;
secondary program divided into college preparatory (26
percent in
1991) and vocational tracks. Institutions of higher
learning
include universities, polytechnical schools, and
specialized
academies such as medical and agricultural schools.
Health: Former communist system of free health
care for
all workers underwent reform in early 1990s. Privatization
of
medical practice, already common under communism, expanded
but
raised prices and did not make care consistently
available.
Obsolescence of equipment and shortage of medicines a
continued
problem; drive for consolidation closed many facilities;
national
health insurance plan slow in developing.
Data as of October 1992
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