The demographic potential of Polish voivodeships and Ukrainian oblasts

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the absolute and relative changes in the demographic potential of Polish and Ukrainian administrative regions. A descriptive analysis was used for the demographic potential using the following characteristics: population dynamics, population density, urban and rural population distribution and urbanization rates, which are analyzed in terms of a spatial approach. The current general distribution of the Ukrainian population in spatial terms is as follows: 25% of the population lives in the east of this country, another 25% in the west, nearly 20% in central and northern Ukraine and just over 10% in southern Ukraine. All analyzed groups of oblasts suffered a decrease in population in the years 2004-2017. The population declined at the fastest rate, by far, in southern Ukraine (due to the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula) and then in the oblasts of the pro-Russian separatists in the regions of Eastern Ukraine. The lowest drops in population were observed in the west and north of Ukraine. In Poland, the general distribution of population in spatial terms is as follows: nearly 40% of the population lives in the voivodeships of central Poland, in the Western part about 25% and in Eastern Poland 21%. In the voivodeships of Western and Central Poland, the population had a slight upward trend, while in eastern Poland it was decreasing.