Polish people

{{Hatnote|For a specific analysis of the population of Poland, see Demographics of Poland.}}

{{About|Poles as an ethnic group|Polish nationality law or citizenship|Polish nationality law|Poles living outside Poland|Polish diaspora}}

{{Infobox ethnic group

| group = Poles

| native_name = Polacy (Polish)

| image = Flag of Poland.svg

| caption = The flag of Poland, one of the symbols of Polish people

| popplace = File:Map of the Polish Diaspora in the World.svg

Poland{{nbsp|3}}37,394,000 (2011)

| region1 = United States

| pop1 = 10,600,000 (2015)

| ref1 = {{cite web|url=http://wspolnota-polska.org.pl/polonia_w_liczbach.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024040808/http://wspolnota-polska.org.pl/polonia_w_liczbach.html|archive-date=24 October 2013|title=Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska|website=Wspolnota-polska.org.pl|access-date=21 August 2017}}{{cite book|author=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|date=January 2013|title=Ludność. Stan i struktura demograficzno-społeczna|trans-title=Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011|url=http://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf|language=pl|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|access-date=12 December 2014|pages=89–101|archive-date=6 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706044038/https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf|url-status=live}}

| region2 = Germany

| pop2 = 2,253,000 (2018)

| ref2 = [https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/migrationshintergrund-2010220187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund - Ergebnisse des Mikrozensus - Fachserie 1 Reihe 2.2 - 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807135312/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/migrationshintergrund-2010220187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |date=7 August 2020 }}, page 62, retrieved 29 November 2019.

| region3 = Brazil

| pop3 = 1,800,000 (2007)

| ref3 =

| region4 = Canada

| pop4 = 1,010,705 (2013)

| ref4 = {{cite web|title=Ethnic Origin (264), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105396&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|date=2013-05-08|access-date=24 November 2013|archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224183256/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105396&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|url-status=live}}

| region5 = France

| pop5 = 1,000,000 (2022)

| ref5 = {{cite web|author=Erwin Dopf |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/pologne/relations-bilaterales/ |title=Présentation de la Pologne |publisher=diplomatie.gouv.fr |access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214064655/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/pologne/relations-bilaterales/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/pologne/presentation-de-la-pologne/|title=Présentation de la Pologne|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122173125/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/pologne/presentation-de-la-pologne/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/jan/26/europe-population-who-lives-where |title=Europe: where do people live? |access-date=27 July 2020 |archive-date=9 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609135216/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/jan/26/europe-population-who-lives-where |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://archiwum.wspolnotapolska.org.pl/?id=pwko00 |title=Polonia w liczbach |website=Stowarzyszenie "Wspólnota Polska" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326104317/http://archiwum.wspolnotapolska.org.pl/?id=pwko00 |archive-date=2012-03-26}}

| region6 = United Kingdom

| pop6 = 682,000 (2021)

| ref6 = {{cite web |title=Population of the United Kingdom by country of birth and nationality, July 2020 to June 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality/july2020tojune2021/populationbycountryofbirthandnationalityjul20tojun21.xls|website=ons.gov.uk|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=5 February 2023|archive-date=3 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103215501/https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationality/july2020tojune2021/populationbycountryofbirthandnationalityjul20tojun21.xls|url-status=live}}.{{cite web|title=Polish workers abandon brexit Britain in favour of Germany:Aljazeera.com|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2019/11/20/polish-workers-abandoning-brexit-britain-in-favour-of-germany|access-date=July 31, 2020|language=EN|archive-date=21 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121033959/https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/ajimpact/polish-workers-abandoning-brexit-britain-favour-germany-191120185949954.html|url-status=live}}

| region7 = Argentina

| pop7 = 500,000 (2014)

| ref7 = {{cite web|url=http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2004/04/27/t-749506.htm|title=Clarín.com – La ampliación de la Unión Europea habilita a 600 mil argentinos para ser comunitarios|website=Edant.clarin.com|date=27 April 2004|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185845/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2004/04/27/t-749506.htm|url-status=live}}

| region8 = Belarus

| pop8 = 288,000 (2019)

| ref8 = {{cite web |url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/upload/iblock/b49/b49a6306ec95b5c2d851e897490581a3.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.belstat.gov.by |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182430/https://www.belstat.gov.by/upload/iblock/b49/b49a6306ec95b5c2d851e897490581a3.pdf |archive-date=9 July 2021 }}

| region9 = Australia

| pop9 = 216,056 (2006)

| ref9 = {{Cite web |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/2006Census3.nsf/logByLookupView?openagent&20050-XCP-Australia.zip&20060&Main%20Features&02006%20Census%20Expanded%20Community%20Profile28%2F11%2F071&0&2006&28.11.2007&Latest |title=Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Government |access-date=7 November 2021 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715131722/https://www.abs.gov.au/census?openagent=&20050-XCP-Australia.zip=&20060=&Main+Features=&02006+Census+Expanded+Community+Profile28%2F11%2F071=&0=&2006=&28.11.2007=&Latest= }}

| region10 = Israel

| pop10 = 202,300 (2011) (Polish Jews, not ethnic Poles)

| ref10 = {{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_24x&CYear=2011 |title=Jews, by Country of Origin and Age |date=26 September 2011 |work=Statistical Abstract of Israel |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |language=en, he |access-date=11 February 2012 |archive-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105202349/http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_24x&CYear=2011%20 |url-status=live }}

| region11 = Lithuania

| pop11 = 183,000 (2021)

| ref11 = {{Cite web | url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=eb0fae4e-f7de-43b0-a727-f61ac012beee#/ | title=2021 censusm | date=16 December 2015 | access-date=6 January 2022 | archive-date=16 February 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216002425/http://www.emz-berlin.de/Statistik_2/lit/lit_01.htm#/ | url-status=live }}

| region12 = Ukraine

| pop12 = 144,130 (2001)

| ref12 = {{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/nationality_population/nationality_1/s5/?botton=cens_db&box=5.1W&k_t=00&p=80&rz=1_1&rz_b=2_1%20%20%20&n_page=5|title=Ukrainian Census 2001|website=2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223241/http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/nationality_population/nationality_1/s5/?botton=cens_db&box=5.1W&k_t=00&p=80&rz=1_1&rz_b=2_1%20%20%20&n_page=5|url-status=live}}

| region13 = Ireland

| pop13 = 112,500 (2018)

| ref13 = {{cite web |url=https://www.rp.pl/Spoleczenstwo/310169932-Polacy-przestali-kochac-Irlandie-Mysla-o-powrocie.html |title=Polacy przestali kochać Irlandię. Myślą o powrocie |date=17 October 2018 |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806070245/https://www.rp.pl/Spoleczenstwo/310169932-Polacy-przestali-kochac-Irlandie-Mysla-o-powrocie.html |url-status=live }}

| region14 = Norway

| pop14 = 108,255 (2019)

| ref14 = {{cite web |url=http://www.ssb.no/en/innvbef/ |title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents |date=9 March 2020 |access-date=21 February 2020 |archive-date=11 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411025653/http://www.ssb.no/en/innvbef |url-status=live }}

| region15 = Italy

| pop15 = 97,000 (2016)

| ref15 = {{cite web|url=http://www.naszswiat.net/wiadomosci/wiadomosci/wlochy/maleje-liczba-polakow-we-wloszech.html|title=Maleje liczba Polaków we Włoszech|trans-title=The number of Poles in Italy is decreasing|language=pl|website=Naszswiat.net|access-date=1 January 2016|archive-date=3 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103134022/http://www.naszswiat.net/wiadomosci/wiadomosci/wlochy/maleje-liczba-polakow-we-wloszech.html}}

| region16 = Sweden

| pop16 = 75,323 (2012)

| ref16 = {{cite web |url=http://www.scb.se/Statistik/BE/BE0101/2012A01x/be0101_Fodelseland_och_ursprungsland.xls |title=Befolkning efter födelseland och ursprungsland 31 december 2012 |publisher=Statistics Sweden |date=31 December 2013 |access-date=22 December 2013 |language=sv |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924140242/http://www.scb.se/Statistik/BE/BE0101/2012A01x/be0101_Fodelseland_och_ursprungsland.xls |url-status=live }}

| region17 = Austria

| pop17 = 69,898 (2015)

| ref17 = http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/menschen_und_gesellschaft//bevoelkerung_am_1.1.2015_nach_detailliertem_geburtsland_und_bundesland-2.pdf {{dead link|date=August 2017}}

| region18 = Spain

| pop18 = 63,000 (2019)

| ref18 = {{Cite web|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-and-emigrant-populations-country-origin-and-destination/|title=Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination|date=10 February 2014|access-date=28 March 2020|archive-date=28 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328205748/https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-and-emigrant-populations-country-origin-and-destination/|url-status=live}}

| region19 = Netherlands

| pop19 = 60,000 (2017)

| ref19 = {{cite web|url=http://wspolnota-polska.org.pl/polonia_w_liczbach.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024040808/http://wspolnota-polska.org.pl/polonia_w_liczbach.html|archive-date=24 October 2013|title=Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska|author=Wspólnota Polska|website=Wspolnota-polska.org.pl|access-date=14 November 2014}}

| region20 = Belgium

| pop20 = 49,600 (2019)

| ref20 =

| region21 = Latvia

| pop21 = 44,783 (2011)

| ref21 = {{cite web|url=http://www.csb.gov.lv/en/notikumi/key-provisional-results-population-and-housing-census-2011-33306.html|title=On key provisional results of Population and Housing Census 2011|website=Csb.gov.lv|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-date=6 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706185754/http://www.csb.gov.lv/en/notikumi/key-provisional-results-population-and-housing-census-2011-33306.html|url-status=live}}

| region22 = Denmark

| pop22 = 37,876 (2014)

| ref22 = {{cite web|title=Statistics Denmark:FOLK1: Population at the first day of the quarter by sex, age, ancestry, country of origin and citizenship|url=http://www.statbank.dk/statbank5a/selectvarval/saveselections.asp|publisher=Statistics Denmark|access-date=26 September 2014|archive-date=29 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129140810/https://www.statbank.dk/statbank5a/selectvarval/saveselections.asp|url-status=live}}

| region23 = Kazakhstan

| pop23 = 34,057 (2018)

| ref23 = {{cite web|url=http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%9F%D0%9D2009_161110%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118072949/http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%9F%D0%9D2009_161110%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.doc|archive-date=2018-11-18|title=Kazakhstan National Census 2009|website=Stat.kz}}

| region24 = South Africa

| pop24 = 30,000 (2014)

| ref24 = {{cite web|url=http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=dubd2|title=Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska|author=Wspólnota Polska|website=Wspolnota-polska.org.pl|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-date=10 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810205001/http://www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl/index.php?id=dubd2|url-status=live}}

| region25 = Russia

| pop25 = 22,024 (2021)

| ref25 = {{cite web|title=Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=Federal State Statistics Service|access-date=1 September 2024}}

| region26 = Iceland

| pop26 = 20,927 (2022)

| ref26 = {{cite web|title=Population by country of birth, sex and age 1 January 1998-2022|url=https://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Ibuar/Ibuar__mannfjoldi__3_bakgrunnur__Faedingarland/MAN12103.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=412c9dca-b461-4df8-adca-dcd0687a6ce6|publisher=Statistics Iceland|year=2022|access-date=31 August 2023|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927201903/https://px.hagstofa.is/pxen/pxweb/en/Ibuar/Ibuar__mannfjoldi__3_bakgrunnur__Faedingarland/MAN12103.px/?rxid=412c9dca-b461-4df8-adca-dcd0687a6ce6|url-status=live}}

| region27 = Czech Republic

| pop27 = 20,305 (2017)

| ref27 = {{Cite web |url=https://www.czso.cz/documents/11292/27914491/1612_c01t14.pdf/4bbedd77-c239-48cd-bf5a-7a43f6dbf71b?version=1.0 |title=Foreigners by category of residence, sex, and citizenship as at 31 December 2016 |access-date=11 October 2017 |archive-date=12 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112214925/https://www.czso.cz/documents/11292/27914491/1612_c01t14.pdf/4bbedd77-c239-48cd-bf5a-7a43f6dbf71b?version=1.0 }}

| region28 = Hungary

| pop28 = 20,000 (2018)

| ref28 = {{cite book|last=Vukovich|first=Gabriella|url=http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|title=Mikrocenzus 2016 - 12. Nemzetiségi adatok|trans-title=2016 microcensus - 12. Ethnic data|language=hu|work=Hungarian Central Statistical Office|location=Budapest|year=2018|access-date=9 January 2019|isbn=978-963-235-542-9|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808024307/http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|url-status=live}}

| region29 = Switzerland

| pop29 = 20,000 (2007)

| ref29 = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120326104317/http://archiwum.wspolnotapolska.org.pl/?id=pwko00 Polska Diaspora na świecie], Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska, 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2020.

| region30 = Paraguay

| pop30 = 16,748 (2012)

| ref30 = {{cite web |url=http://www.acercandonaciones.com/news/ante-la-crisis-europa-y-el-mundo-miran-a-latinoamerica.html |title=Ante la crisis, Europa y el mundo miran a Latinoamérica |work=Acercando Naciones |language=es |year=2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094924/http://www.acercandonaciones.com/news/ante-la-crisis-europa-y-el-mundo-miran-a-latinoamerica.html |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}

| region31 = Greece

| pop31 = 15,000 (2019)

| ref31 =

| region32 = United Arab Emirates

| pop32 = 14,500 (2015)

| ref32 =

| region33 = Chile

| pop33 = 10,000 (2007)

| ref33 =

| region34 = Mexico

| pop34 = 10,000 (2007)

| ref34 =

| region35 = Moldova

| pop35 = 10,000 (2007)

| ref35 =

| region36 = Uruguay

| pop36 = 10,000 (2007)

| ref36 =

| region37 = Slovakia

| pop37 = 5,282 (2021)

| ref37 = {{Cite web |title=SODB2021 - Obyvatelia - Základné výsledky |url=https://www.scitanie.sk/obyvatelia/zakladne-vysledky/struktura-obyvatelstva-podla-dalsej-narodnosti/SR/SK0/SR |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=www.scitanie.sk |archive-date=15 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715111536/https://www.scitanie.sk/obyvatelia/zakladne-vysledky/struktura-obyvatelstva-podla-dalsej-narodnosti/SR/SK0/SR |url-status=live }}

| region38 = Portugal

| pop38 = 4,326

| ref38 = {{Cite web |title=Sefstat2022 |url=https://www.sef.pt/pt/Documents/RIFA2022%20vF2a.pdf}}

| region39 = Japan

| pop39 = 1,762 (2023)

| ref39 = {{Cite web |title=在留外国人統計 |url=https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00250012&tstat=000001018034&cycle=1&tclass1=000001060399&tclass2val=0&metadata=1&data=1 |language=ja |date=15 December 2023 |access-date=20 May 2024}}

| languages = {{hlist|Predominantly Polish}}

| rels = Predominantly Roman Catholicism{{cite book|chapter-url=http://stat.gov.pl/download/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5515/1/19/1/maly_rocznik_statystyczny_polski_2018.pdf|title=Mały Rocznik Statystyczny Polski 2018 (Concise Statistical Yearbook of Poland 2018)|chapter=Niektóre wyznania religijne w Polsce w 2017 r. (Selected religious denominations in Poland in 2017)|journal=Concise Statistical Yearbook of Poland = Mały Rocznik Statystyczny Polski|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|pages=114–115|year=2018|issn=1640-3630|location=Warszawa|language=pl, en|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-date=24 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524101034/https://stat.gov.pl/download/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5515/1/19/1/maly_rocznik_statystyczny_polski_2018.pdf|url-status=live}}

| related = Other West Slavs
Especially other Lechites

| native_name_lang = pl

| population = {{circa|60 million}}37.5–38 million in Poland and 21–22 million ethnic Poles or people of ethnic Polish extraction elsewhere. [http://polmap.pdg.pl/mapy/polonia_na_swiecie.htm "Polmap. Rozmieszczenie ludności pochodzenia polskiego (w mln)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730002747/http://polmap.pdg.pl/mapy/polonia_na_swiecie.htm |date=30 July 2015 }}

}}

Polish people, or Poles,{{efn|{{langx|pl|Polacy}}, {{IPA|pl|pɔˈlat͡sɨ|pron}}; singular masculine: Polak, singular feminine: Polka}} are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=97saAAAAYAAJ&dq=polacy+nar%C3%B3d+lechicki&pg=PA68|title = Historya ksia̜ża̜t i królów polskich krótko zebrana – Teodor Waga – Google Books|date = 2020-07-09|publisher = J. Zawadzki|access-date = 19 March 2023|archive-date = 27 September 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230927201919/https://books.google.com/books?id=97saAAAAYAAJ&dq=polacy+nar%C3%B3d+lechicki&pg=PA68#v=onepage&q=polacy%20nar%C3%B3d%20lechicki&f=false|url-status = live}}{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_7xoAAAAcAAJ&dq=polacy+nar%C3%B3d+lechicki&pg=PA67|title = Historya krolow i ksiazat polskich krotko zebrana dla lepszego uzytku Wyd ... – Theodor Waga – Google Books|date = 2020-07-09|publisher = Zupanski|access-date = 19 March 2023|archive-date = 27 September 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230927201919/https://books.google.com/books?id=_7xoAAAAcAAJ&dq=polacy+nar%C3%B3d+lechicki&pg=PA67#v=onepage&q=polacy%20nar%C3%B3d%20lechicki&f=false|url-status = live}}Gerard Labuda. Fragmenty dziejów Słowiańszczyzny zachodniej, t. 1–2 s.72 2002; Henryk Łowmiański. Początki Polski: z dziejów Słowian w I tysiącleciu n.e., t. 5 s.472; Stanisław Henryk Badeni, 1923. s. 270. who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe. The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland, regardless of heritage or ethnicity. The majority of Poles adhere to Roman Catholicism.

The population of self-declared Poles in Poland is estimated at 37,394,000 out of an overall population of 38,512,000 (based on the 2011 census),{{cite web|title=The national-ethnic affiliation in the population – The results of the census of population and housing in 2011|url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/Przynaleznosc_narodowo-etniczna_w_2011_NSP.pdf|access-date=6 March 2013|author=Central Statistical Office|page=1|language=pl|date=January 2013|author-link=Central Statistical Office (Poland)|archive-date=15 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515165423/https://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/Przynaleznosc_narodowo-etniczna_w_2011_NSP.pdf|url-status=live}} of whom 36,522,000 declared Polish alone.{{Cite book|url=https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|title=Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011.|last=Gudaszewski|first=Grzegorz|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|date=November 2015|isbn=978-83-7027-597-6|location=Warsaw|pages=132–136|access-date=8 February 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808010836/https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|url=https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|title=Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski [Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011]|publisher=Główny Urząd Statystyczny|date=November 2015|isbn=978-83-7027-597-6|location=Warsaw|pages=129–136|language=pl|access-date=8 February 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808010836/https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5670/22/1/1/struktura_narodowo-etniczna.pdf|url-status=live}} A wide-ranging Polish diaspora (the Polonia) exists throughout Eurasia, the Americas, and Australasia. Today, the largest urban concentrations of Poles are within the Warsaw metropolitan area and the Katowice urban area.

Ethnic Poles are considered to be the descendants of the ancient West Slavic Lechites and other tribes that inhabited the Polish territories during the late antiquity period. Poland's recorded history dates back over a thousand years to {{circa}} 930–960 AD, when the Western Polans – an influential tribe in the Greater Poland region – united various Lechitic clans under what became the Piast dynasty,Gerard Labuda. Fragmenty dziejów Słowiańszczyzny zachodniej, t.1–2 p.72 2002; Henryk Łowmiański. Początki Polski: z dziejów Słowian w I tysiącleciu n.e., t. 5 p.472; Stanisław Henryk Badeni, 1923. p. 270. thus creating the first Polish state. The subsequent Christianization of Poland by the Catholic Church, in 966 CE, marked Poland's advent to the community of Western Christendom. However, throughout its existence, the Polish state followed a tolerant policy towards minorities resulting in numerous ethnic and religious identities of the Poles, such as Polish Jews.

Exonyms

The Polish endonym Polacy is derived from the Western Polans, a Lechitic tribe which inhabited lands around the River Warta in Greater Poland region from the mid-6th century onward.{{cite web|last=Gliński|first=Mikołaj|date=6 December 2016|title=The Many Different Names of Poland|url=https://culture.pl/en/article/the-many-different-names-of-poland|access-date=31 March 2019|website=Culture.pl|archive-date=31 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331110229/https://culture.pl/en/article/the-many-different-names-of-poland|url-status=live}} The tribe's name stems from the Proto-Indo European *pleh₂-, which means flat or flatland and corresponds to the topography of a region that the Western Polans initially settled.{{cite book |last=Lehr-Spławiński |first=Tadeusz |date=1978 |title=Język polski. Pochodzenie, powstanie, rozwój |location=Warszawa (Warsaw) |publisher=Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe |page=64}}{{cite book |last=Potkański |first=Karol |orig-date=1922 |date=2004 |title=Pisma pośmiertne. Granice plemienia Polan |volume=1 & 2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b78eAAAAMAAJ&q=p%C5%82aska%20wielkopolska%20polanie |location=Kraków |publisher=Polska Akademia Umiejętności |page=423 |isbn=978-83-7063-411-7 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404210016/https://books.google.com/books?id=b78eAAAAMAAJ&q=p%C5%82aska%20wielkopolska%20polanie |url-status=live }} The prefix pol- is used in most world languages when referring to Poles (Spanish polaco, Italian polacche, French polonais, German Pole).

Among other foreign exonyms for the Polish people are Lithuanian Lenkai; Hungarian Lengyelek; Turkish Leh; {{langx|hy|Լեհաստան}} Lehastan; and {{langx|fa|لهستان}} (Lahestān). These stem from Lechia, the ancient name for Poland, or from the tribal Lendians. Their names are equally derived from the Old Polish term lęda, meaning plain or field.{{cite book |last=Małecki |first=Antoni |date=1907 |title=Lechici w świetle historycznej krytyki |location=Lwów |publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich |page=37 |isbn=978-83-65746-64-1}}

Ethnogenesis

File:Gesta Hamburgensis trans oddara st polanos.jpg (1073) by Adam of Bremen, containing the name "Polans": "trans Oddaram sunt Polanos"]]

Slavs have been in the territory of modern-day Poland for over 1500 years. During the Migration Period, central Europe was becoming increasingly settled by the early Slavs (500–700 AD).Zbigniew Kobyliński. [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/new-cambridge-medieval-history/slavs/BA9F5D451AAE4AEC657C6960F28EF244 "The Slavs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522135116/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/new-cambridge-medieval-history/slavs/BA9F5D451AAE4AEC657C6960F28EF244 |date=22 May 2022 }}. The New Cambridge Medieval History, pp. 530–537 They organized into tribal units, of which the larger ones further west were later known as the Polish tribes (Lechites);Zenon Klemensiewicz: Historia języka polskiego t.III. Warszawa: PWN, 1985. P. 418-471. ISBN 83-01-06443-9. the names of many tribes are found on the list compiled by the anonymous Bavarian Geographer in the 9th century.{{cite book|title=God's Playground A History of Poland: Volume 1: The Origins to 1795: Origins|author=Norman Davies|year=2005|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-925339-5|page=xxvii}} In the 9th and 10th centuries the tribes gave rise to developed regions along the upper Vistula (the Vistulans), the Baltic Sea coast and in Greater Poland. The ultimate tribal undertaking (10th century) resulted in a lasting political structure and the creation of a Polish state.{{cite book|title=U źródeł Polski (do roku 1038)|author1=Marek Derwich|author2=Adam Żurek|year=2002|pages=122–143|language=pl}}

Language

File:Book of Henryków.PNG. Highlighted in red is the earliest known sentence written in the Old Polish language]]

Polish is the native language of most Poles. It is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group and the sole official language in the Republic of Poland. Its written form uses the Polish alphabet, which is the basic Latin alphabet with the addition of six diacritic marks, totalling 32 letters. Bearing relation to Czech and Slovak, it has been profoundly influenced by Latin, German and other languages over the course of history.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_lgAAAAMAAJ&q=wplyw+francuskiego+na+j%C4%99zyk+polski|title=Język polski|date=July 27, 2000|publisher=Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego.|via=Google Books|access-date=29 September 2021|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927201922/https://books.google.com/books?id=y_lgAAAAMAAJ&q=wplyw+francuskiego+na+j%C4%99zyk+polski|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hjq2AAAAIAAJ&q=wp%C5%82yw+jezyka+niemieckiego+na+polski|title=Tendencje rozwojowe współczesnych zapożyczeń angielskich w języku polskim|first=Elżbieta|last=Mańczak-Wohlfeld|date=July 27, 1995|publisher=Universitas|isbn=978-83-7052-347-3|via=Google Books|access-date=29 September 2021|archive-date=27 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927201924/https://books.google.com/books?id=hjq2AAAAIAAJ&q=wp%C5%82yw+jezyka+niemieckiego+na+polski|url-status=live}} Poland is linguistically homogeneous – nearly 97% of Poland's citizens declare Polish as their mother tongue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-poland.html|title=Which Languages Are Spoken in Poland?|website=WorldAtlas|date=18 July 2018|access-date=29 September 2021|archive-date=23 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223070736/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-poland.html|url-status=live}}

Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner throughout most of Poland, though numerous dialects and a vernacular language in certain regions coexist alongside standard Polish. The most common lects in Poland are Silesian, spoken in Upper Silesia, and Kashubian, widely spoken in historic Eastern Pomerania (Pomerelia), today in the northwestern part of Poland.{{cite book |author=Lucjan Adamczuk |author2=Sławomir Łodziński |date=2006 |title=Mniejszości narodowe w Polsce w świetle Narodowego Spisu Powszechnego z 2002 roku |location=Warszawa (Warsaw) |publisher=Wydawn. Nauk. Scholar |page=149 |isbn=978-83-7383-143-8}} Kashubian possesses its own status as a separate language.{{Cite web|url=http://docplayer.pl/57273906-Instytut-kaszubski-acta-cassubiana-tom-xvii.html|title=Acta Cassubiana. Vol. XVII (map on p. 122)|date=2015|website=Instytut Kaszubski|access-date=9 February 2018|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002849/http://docplayer.pl/57273906-Instytut-kaszubski-acta-cassubiana-tom-xvii.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/niemiecki.pdf|title=Kaschuben heute: Kultur-Sprache-Identität|date=2007|language=de|access-date=3 January 2016|archive-date=3 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103000918/http://instytutkaszubski.republika.pl/pdfy/niemiecki.pdf}} The Goral people in the mountainous south use their own nonstandard dialect, accenting and different intonation.

The geographical distribution of the Polish language was greatly affected by the border changes and population transfers that followed the Second World War – forced expulsions and resettlement during that period contributed to the country's current linguistic homogeneity.{{cite book |last1=Janowska |first1=Iwona |last2=Gębal |first2=Przemysław |date=2024 |title=Theory and Practice of Polish Language Teaching |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rXD_EAAAQBAJ |publisher=V&R Unipress |page=127 |isbn=9783847016502 |access-date=31 March 2025}}

Culture

File:KrakkoFotoThalerTamas20.jpg is Poland's enduring national and cultural symbol]]

The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history, and forms an important constituent in the Western civilisation.Adam Zamoyski, [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polish-Way-Thousand-History-Culture/dp/0781802008 The Polish Way: A Thousand Year History of the Poles and Their Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928231729/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polish-Way-Thousand-History-Culture/dp/0781802008/ |date=28 September 2020 }}. Published 1993, Hippocrene Books, Poland, {{ISBN|0-7818-0200-8}} Strong ties with the Latinate world and the Roman Catholic faith also shaped Poland's cultural identity.

Officially, the national and state symbol is the white-tailed eagle (bielik) embedded on the Coat of arms of Poland (godło).{{in lang|pl}} [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/polski/kon1.htm Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601213602/http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/polski/kon1.htm |date=1 June 2019 }} [{{in lang|en}} [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm Constitution of the Republic of Poland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515155657/http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm |date=15 May 2019 }}], Dz.U. 1997 nr 78 poz. 483 The national colours are white and red, which appropriately appear on the flag of Poland (flaga), banners, cockades and memorabilia.

Personal achievement and education plays an important role in Polish society today. In 2018, the Programme for International Student Assessment ranked Poland 11th in the world for mathematics, science and reading.{{cite web |url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm |title=PISA 2018 results |date=2018 |website=oecd.org |publisher=OECD |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=3 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203141933/https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm |url-status=live }} Education has been of prime interest to Poland since the early 12th century, particularly for its noble classes. In 1364, King Casimir the Great founded the Kraków Academy, which would become Jagiellonian University, the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Central Europe.{{cite book |last=Zachara |first=Małgorzata |date=2018 |title=Poland in Transatlantic Relations after 1989 |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |page=323 |isbn=978-1-5275-0740-1}} People of Polish birth have made considerable contributions in the fields of science, technology and mathematics both in Poland and abroad,{{Cite book|url=http://uatacz.up.krakow.pl/~wwwchemia/pliki/ISBN_978_83_7271_768_9_From_alchemy_to_the_present_day|title=From Alchemy to the Present Day – the Choice of Biographies of Polish Scientists|last1=Nodzyńska|first1=Małgorzata|last2=Cieśla|first2=Paweł|publisher=Pedagogical University of Kraków|year=2012|isbn=978-83-7271-768-9|location=Cracow|access-date=3 May 2018|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201958/http://uatacz.up.krakow.pl/~wwwchemia/pliki/ISBN_978_83_7271_768_9_From_alchemy_to_the_present_day}} among them Vitello, Marie Skłodowska–Curie, Rudolf Modrzejewski, Rudolf Weigl, Bronisław Malinowski, Stefan Banach, Stanisław Ulam, Leonid Hurwicz, Benoit Mandelbrot and Alfred Tarski.

Poland's folk music, especially the mazurka, krakowiak and polonaise, were popularized by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, and they soon spread across Europe and elsewhere.{{cite book |last=Berend |first=Ivan T. |date=2005 |title=History Derailed. Central and Eastern Europe in the Long Nineteenth Century |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |page=66 |isbn=978-0-520-24525-9}} Latin songs and religious hymns such as Gaude Mater Polonia and Bogurodzica were once chanted in churches and during patriotic festivities, but the tradition has faded.

According to a 2020 study, Poland ranks 12th globally on a list of countries which read the most, and approximately 79% of Poles read the news more than once a day, placing it 2nd behind Sweden.{{cite web |url=https://geediting.com/world-reading-habits-2020/ |title=World Reading Habits in 2020 [Infographic] |last=Cabrera |first=Isabel |date=2020 |website=geediting.com |publisher=Global English Editing |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=4 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504004350/https://geediting.com/world-reading-habits-2020/ |url-status=live }} As of 2021, six Poles received the Nobel Prize in Literature.{{efn|In some instances only five laureates are acknowledged as Isaac Bashevis Singer resided in the United States and primarily wrote in Yiddish.}} The national epic is Pan Tadeusz (English: Master Thaddeus), written by Adam Mickiewicz. Renowned novelists who gained much recognition abroad include Joseph Conrad (wrote in English; Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim), Stanisław Lem (science-fiction; Solaris) and Andrzej Sapkowski (fantasy; The Witcher).

File:Chopin concert.jpg plays for the Radziwiłł family, 1829 (painting by Henryk Siemiradzki, 1887)]]

Various regions in Poland such as Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Mazovia, Silesia, and Pomerania developed their own distinct cultures, cuisines, folk costumes and dialects. Also, Poland for centuries was a refuge to many Jews and to Armenians, who became an important part of Polish society and similarly developed their own unique cultures.

Popular everyday foods in Poland include pork cutlets (kotlet schabowy), schnitzels, kielbasa sausage, potatoes, coleslaw and salads, soups (barszcz, tomato or meat broth), pierogi dumplings, and bread rolls. Traditional Polish cuisine is hearty and Poles are one of the more obese nations in Europe – approximately 58% of the adult population was overweight in 2019, above the EU average.{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics |title=Overweight and obesity - BMI statistics |author=Eurostat |date=2019 |website=ec.europa.eu |publisher=European Union |access-date=30 September 2021 |archive-date=8 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108163155/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics |url-status=live }} According to data from 2017, meat consumption per capita in Poland was one of the highest in the world, with pork being the most in demand.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS|title=Food balances data 2017|author=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)|year=2017|website=FAO.org|access-date=21 October 2021|archive-date=11 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511194947/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS|url-status=live}} Alcohol consumption is relatively moderate compared to other European states;{{Cite web|url=https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf|title=WHO Global status report on alcohol and health 2018|website=who.int|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210160224/https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/274603/9789241565639-eng.pdf|archive-date=2021-02-10}} popular alcoholic beverages include Polish-produced beer, vodka and ciders.

Religion

{{see also|Roman Catholicism in Poland|Polish National Catholic Church|Polish Orthodox Church|Polish Lutheran Church|Pentecostal Church in Poland|Baptist Union of Poland|Polish Reformed Church}}

File:Pope John Paul II in Kraków – 1983.jpg was the first Pole to become a Roman Catholic Pope]]

Poles have traditionally adhered to the Christian faith; an overwhelming majority belongs to the Roman Catholic Church,{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/poland/|work=The World Factbook|access-date=14 November 2014|title=Europe: Poland — the World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108080850/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/poland/|archive-date=8 January 2023|url-status=live}} with 87.5% of Poles in 2011 identifying as Roman Catholic.GUS, [http://stat.gov.pl/download/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludnosci 2011: 4.4. Przynależność wyznaniowa (National Survey 2011: 4.4 Membership in faith communities)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010210701/http://stat.gov.pl/download/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/LUD_ludnosc_stan_str_dem_spo_NSP2011.pdf |date=10 October 2017 }} p. 99/337 (PDF file, direct download 3.3 MB). {{ISBN|978-83-7027-521-1}} {{nowrap|Retrieved 27 December 2014.}} According to Poland's Constitution, freedom of religion is ensured to everyone. It also allows for national and ethnic minorities to have the right to establish educational and cultural institutions, institutions designed to protect religious identity, as well as to participate in the resolution of matters connected with their cultural identity.

There are smaller communities primarily comprising Protestants (especially Lutherans), Orthodox Christians (migrants), Jehovah's Witnesses, those irreligious, and Judaism (mostly from the Jewish populations in Poland who have lived in Poland prior to World War II){{in lang|pl}} [http://kzbb.org/ind.php?kzbb=statystyka&w=kiz2000 Kościoły i związki wyznaniowe w Polsce] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805132751/http://kzbb.org/ind.php?kzbb=statystyka&w=kiz2000 |date=5 August 2009 }}. Retrieved 17 June 2008. and Sunni Muslims (Polish Tatars). Roman Catholics live all over the country, while Orthodox Christians can be found mostly in the far north-eastern corner, in the area of Białystok, and Protestants in Cieszyn Silesia and Warmia-Masuria regions. A growing Jewish population exists in major cities, especially in Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław. Over two million Jews of Polish origin reside in the United States, Brazil, and Israel.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

File:Wojciech Gerson, Przyjęcie Żydów.jpg welcomes the Jews to Poland. Painting by Wojciech Gerson]]

Religious organizations in the Republic of Poland can register their institution with the Ministry of Interior and Administration creating a record of churches and other religious organizations who operate under separate Polish laws. This registration is not necessary; however, it is beneficial when it comes to serving the freedom of religious practice laws.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Slavic Native Faith (Rodzimowiercy) groups, registered with the Polish authorities in 1995, are the Native Polish Church (Rodzimy Kościół Polski), which represents a pagan tradition going back to Władysław Kołodziej's 1921 Holy Circle of Worshippers of Światowid (Święte Koło Czcicieli Światowida), and the Polish Slavic Church (Polski Kościół Słowiański). There is also the Native Faith Association (Zrzeszenie Rodzimej Wiary, ZRW), founded in 1996.Scott Simpson, Native Faith: Polish Neo-Paganism at the Brink of the 21st Century, 2000.

Geographic distribution

[[File:Map of the Polish Diaspora in the World.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|The map depicts countries by number of citizens who reported Polish ancestry or citizenship (based on sources in this article)

{{Legend|#f8c4cf|+ 10,000}}]]

File:Grojcowianie 15-08-2016.jpg of the Beskid Mountains (Żywiec)]]

Polish people are the sixth-largest national group in the European Union (EU).NationMaster.com 2003–2008. [http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/peo_pop-people-population&int=-1&id=EUR&b_ac=1 People Statistics: Population (most recent) by country] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603024628/http://nationmaster.com/red/graph/peo_pop-people-population%26int%3D-1%26id%3DEUR%26b_ac%3D1 |date=3 June 2009 }}. Retrieved 25 January 2008. Estimates vary depending on source, though available data suggest a total number of around 60 million people worldwide (with roughly 18-20 million living outside of Poland, many of whom are not of Polish descent, but are Polish nationals).{{cite web|title=Record number of Poles in Britain: statistics office|url=http://thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/365138,Record-number-of-Poles-in-Britain-statistics-office|publisher=association "Polish Community"|access-date=21 November 2013|language=pl|archive-date=17 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517095154/http://thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/365138,Record-number-of-Poles-in-Britain-statistics-office}} There are almost 38 million Poles in Poland alone. There are also strong Polish communities in neighbouring countries, whose territories were once occupied or part of Poland – Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, western Ukraine, and western Belarus.

The term "Polonia" is usually used in Poland to refer to people of Polish origin who live outside Polish borders. There is a notable Polish diaspora in the United States, Brazil, and Canada. France has a historic relationship with Poland and has a relatively large Polish-descendant population. Poles have lived in France since the 18th century. In the early 20th century, over a million Polish people settled in France, mostly during world wars, among them Polish émigrés fleeing either Nazi occupation (1939–1945) or Communism (1945/1947–1989).

In the United States, a significant number of Polish immigrants settled in Chicago (billed as the world's most Polish city outside of Poland), Milwaukee, Ohio, Detroit, New Jersey, New York City, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and New England. The highest concentration of Polish Americans in a single New England municipality is in New Britain, Connecticut. The majority of Polish Canadians have arrived in Canada since World War II. The number of Polish immigrants increased between 1945 and 1970, and again after the end of Communism in Poland in 1989. In Brazil, the majority of Polish immigrants settled in Paraná State. Smaller, but significant numbers settled in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Espírito Santo and São Paulo (state). The city of Curitiba has the second largest Polish diaspora in the world (after Chicago) and Polish music, dishes and culture are quite common in the region.

A recent large migration of Poles took place following Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004 and with the opening of the EU's labor market; an approximate number of 2 million, primarily young, Poles taking up jobs abroad.{{cite web|url=http://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/sueddeutsche-zeitung-polska-przezywa-najwieksza-fale-emigracji-od-100-lat/yrtt0|title="Sueddeutsche Zeitung": Polska przeżywa największą falę emigracji od 100 lat|date=26 September 2014|website=Wiadomosci.onet.pl|access-date=20 August 2017|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308055401/https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/swiat/sueddeutsche-zeitung-polska-przezywa-najwieksza-fale-emigracji-od-100-lat/yrtt0|url-status=live}} It is estimated that over half a million Polish people went to work in the United Kingdom from Poland. Since 2011, Poles have been able to work freely throughout the EU where they have had full working rights since Poland's EU accession in 2004. The Polish community in Norway has increased substantially and has grown to a total number of 120,000, making Poles the largest immigrant group in Norway. Only in recent years has the population abroad decreased, specifically in the UK with 116.000 leaving the UK in 2018 alone. There is a large minority of Polish people in Ireland that makes up approximately 2.57% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Polish - CSO - Central Statistics Office |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpnin/cpnin/polish/ |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=www.cso.ie |language=en |archive-date=18 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918193759/https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpnin/cpnin/polish/ |url-status=live }}

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References

Category:Ethnic groups in Poland

Category:Slavic ethnic groups

Category:West Slavs