The celebration of Children's Day has been for some time not only a day of city and festival entertainment, open museums and other attractions, but also a moment of buying smaller or larger gifts. In 2024, the company Exceptional Gift, on whose website we will find many vouchers for different occasions - from Mother's Day, to grandfather's birthday, to all anniversaries - published a study that shows that Almost 90% of Poles buy a gift on the occasion of Children's Day, and almost as many believe that it is increasingly difficult to choose it. Most often, gifts are bought for children aged 0-6 years, that is, in the youngest age range - more than half of the respondents buy such gifts, and almost the second as many give gifts to children aged 6-12 years. Children receive gifts mainly from grandparents (68%), uncles and aunts (42%) and godparents (31%), and less often from siblings (5%).
The majority of respondents, 80%, agreed that the gift should be chosen according to the interests of the child and that organizing a joint experience is more valuable than a material gift. The argument in support of the opinion of the respondents that it is increasingly difficult to choose a gift for Children's Day was the statement that “today children already have everything.” And although in many cases, especially in the Western world, it is difficult to disagree with this, it is still Children's Day is also the day of those who for some reason do not grow up in material, relational and social security. By focusing on Children's Day solely as an opportunity for shopping or entertainment — which, of course, bring pleasure and give a lot of joy — it is worth considering why fertility is declining in Poland and how we can socially care for children in order to ensure a good future for them.
Fewer and fewer children in Poland Thanks to the data of the Central Statistical Office (GUS), we can look at the changing demographics in Poland — a country that belongs to the countries with the lowest fertility in the European Union. According to the latest GUS data, the fertility rate was 1,068 children per woman in 2025, up from 1,991 in 1990. This means that in less than four decades, the number of children per woman statistically dropped by almost half.
The age of women giving birth to their first child has also changed. In the early 1990s, the average age of a mother at the birth of her first child was about 22.7 years, while it is now 29.5 years. This trend is part of the wider social changes observed in most European countries. According to Eurostat data, the average fertility rate in the European Union was 1.34 children per woman in 2024. Poland, with a rate of 1.10 in 2024 (and 1.068 in 2025 according to the GUS), is well below the EU average and belongs to the group of countries with the lowest fertility in Europe.
This situation presents us with many social, economic and political challenges. Reproduction, from the point of view of the functioning of the state, is extremely important for all these areas, especially in a situation where the development of technology, especially medicine, has caused societies to age - our lives have simply lengthened. It is said that for the so-called generational interchangeability to occur, the fertility rate should be around 2.1 children per woman.
Why are fewer and fewer children being born in Poland? Although some politicians, public figures or social researchers talk about the influence of Western culture on decisions about having offspring — which in fact happens to be a factor appearing in analyses — in Poland the problem is not primarily the desire to have children, but the possibility of starting a family. Researchers from the University of Warsaw looked at the desire to start a family in Poland through the lens of several key socio-economic factors: work, access to housing, abortion rights and climate change.
Prof. Anna Matysiak, lecturer at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw and head of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market and Family Research (LabFam), although she points out how low fertility negatively affects society as a whole, emphasizes that those planning parenting do not follow this type of analysis when making decisions about a child. These are autonomous choices, motivated by many personal factors, in which social issues are intertwined with the individual biography of the potential parent.
The researcher points out that the lack of access to safe abortion, for example in the case of severe fetal malformations, can be a real cause for concern for one's own and family's safety when planning parenting. Other factors negatively affecting fertility include housing problems, which include high developer margins, some of the highest mortgage costs in Europe and insufficient state housing construction. Economic stability and the situation on the labour market remain no less important. Job insecurity and lack of financial security can significantly influence decisions about having children. In this context, measures to reduce unstable forms of employment and strengthen the protection of workers' rights are of particular importance.
Prof. Matysiak's conclusions were published on the basis of research conducted jointly with Anna Kurowska and Magdalena Grabowska from the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Labour Market and Family Dynamics (LabFam). The study used the survey experiment method. Participants rated hypothetical scenarios reflecting six potential barriers influencing the decision to have a first or subsequent child. Among the factors analyzed were: job stability, own housing, access to care institutions, partner involvement in child care, climate change and abortion law.
Parenting: what conditions does the family need?
In the iBRIS survey for PAP on favorable conditions for starting families in Poland, respondents considered the availability of housing as the factor having the greatest impact on fertility — 60% of respondents indicated it. At the same time, more than half of Poles believe that the current living conditions are conducive to having children (56.7%), and the vast majority are of the opinion that the conditions for the development of children have improved significantly in the last two decades (81.3%).
Among the proposed forms of support for families, 46.5% of respondents indicated exemption from income tax (PIT) of parents with at least two children. At the same time, 71% of respondents do not agree with the statement that childless people should pay an additional tax. Opinions on increasing financial support for parents, on the other hand, are divided. With the statement that parents should receive more support from the state, 45.9% of respondents agree, while 44.2% are of the opposite opinion
summary Today, Poland is one of the countries with the lowest fertility in the European Union. Although many Poles believe that conditions for children's development have improved in recent decades, research shows that parenting decisions strongly depend on access to housing, job stability, a sense of economic security and the predictability of social policies. So, on Children's Day, it is worth talking not only about gifts and attractions, but also about how to create favorable conditions for raising children and starting families. Sources: 1.https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/badanie-co-drugi-ankietowany-martwi-sie-ze-zle-wybierze-prezent-na-dzien-dziecka-0
4. https://plwliczbach.stat.gov.pl/pl/index.html?page=mieszkania
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