Warmia-Mazury sees falling marriage rates and accelerating senior population

A 2025 report from the Polish Central Statistical Office shows that the Warmian-Masurian region recorded 4,500 marriages, a 2 % decline from the previous year. Civil marriages (2,800) now outnumber religious ceremonies (1,700), reversing a pre‑2020 pattern where church weddings were dominant. The share of religious marriages in the region is the sixth lowest in Poland, at 37.2 % of all unions.

The same data reveal rapid population aging: people aged 65 and over now comprise 21 % of residents, up 10.4 percentage points since 2000, while the number of children aged 0‑14 fell by 39.3 %. The senior‑to‑child ratio has shifted to 154 seniors for every 100 children. The highest senior concentration is in the city of Kętrzyn (26.2 %), whereas municipalities such as Stawiguda have the lowest share at 11.1 %. These trends indicate a shrinking younger population and a growing elderly demographic in Warmia‑Mazury.