Discussion Papers 2008.
Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area 61-66. p.
6 The demographic features of the Carpathian region
The macro-region of our analysis has 56 million inhabitants, of them nearly 8
million live in a capital city (Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Bucharest and Bel-
grade). Apart from the most densely populated urban areas (Bucharest is an ex-
tremely densely populated city with 8,000 inhabitants per square kilometre) the
region’s average population density is 100 per square kilometre. The most
sparsely populated areas are the Western region of Romania and the central parts
of Romania with Hargitha and Kovászna counties populated mostly by Hungarian
ethnic minorities and the majority of Serbian regions. Burgenland is also a
sparsely populated region.
The population of the research area has decreased by 800 thousand during the
past 5 years losing one and a half percent of the total population. By monitoring
the population change of some NUTS2 regions two characteristic trends may be
observed.
There are significant regional differences in the decrease of population. The
decrease of the population is significantly exceeding the national average in the
majority of Romanian counties especially in the southern and western parts and in
the research territories of Serbia.
Significant population growth can be observed only in some economically ad-
vanced areas, the decreasing population of Budapest and Bucharest can be ex-
plained by suburbanization, which is verified by the significant population growth
of their neighbourhood (Pest County and Judetul Ilfov). Besides these two subur-
banizations only the Hungarian Győr-Moson-Sopron County, the Polish Kraków
region, Vienna and Belgrade can show worthy of note population growth.
The region’s age structure can be characterized by a balanced ratio of young
and old generations, although the ratio of the below 15 year old population shows
a slight prevalence over the age group of over 65 (Table 14, Figure 2).
Table 14
The age structure of the research area (2004)
Age group
Ratio (%)
10–14 years old
16.7
15–65 years old
68.6
Over 65 years old
14.7
Source: Eurostat.
The Demographic Features of the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 61-66. p. Discussion Papers, Special
62
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE CARPATHIAN AREA
Regional level data are showing great differences. Several economically
advanced regions have ageing population. Besides the Austrian provinces the
population of Central-Hungary, West-Transdanubia and of the neighbourhood of
Bucharest in Romania is ageing. The southern parts of Serbia, the macro-region’s
economically backwarded territories have malformed demographic structure with
a predominant ratio of old-age population.
However in the majority of regions in our research area the ratio of young
generation overweighs the old-aged one. This is extremely true in all the Polish
regions, and in the central and northern regions of Romania.
Figure 2
The age structure of population in the member regions
of the Carpathian region (2004)
Source: Eurostat, national statistical yearbooks.
The Demographic Features of the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 61-66. p. Discussion Papers, Special
THE DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THE CARPATHIAN REGION
63
The region’s demographic process shows a strong natural decrease. The
number of births in the majority of the territorial units of our research area stays
below the number of deaths. The most affected areas of natural decrease are the
counties of Hungary, the southern parts of Romania, Burgenland and Serbia. On
Serb territories the extremely high death rates are the major causes of natural
decrease. Death rates are also higher than the average in the majority of
Hungarian counties and Romania, where even high birth rates cannot keep the
rate of natural decrease low.
In the regions of Poland due to high birth rates and to the relatively low death
rates a natural increase of population can be observed on NUTS3 level. Although
Slovakia and the Czech Republic are also hit by the natural decrease they are in a
better situation and even in some eastern counties of Slovakia a natural increase
of population was observed. While in Poland the number of births can partly be
explained by the influence of religion in Eastern Slovakia the high ratio of Roma
population also increases the birth rate indicators (Table 15).
It should be noted that microregional level analyses would show a more
differentiated picture on demographic processes and their future trends (Veres,
2006; Szalay, 2004).
The region’s demographic processes have negative impacts not only on the
overall economic development of the Carpathian region but they also generate
unfavourable trends in social policy as well. The highest ratio of ethnic Roma
population lives in the eastern parts of Slovakia where the number of settlements
with majority or exclusive Roma population is rather high. All the current trends
are predicting that the number and ratio of Roma population will further increase
in these territories which will result in a concentration of inactivity, unemploy-
ment and in an increase of social tensions in these areas.
The population of Romania has shown a decreasing trend during the past
twelve years which, besides the natural decrease of population, can be explained
by the increasing migration as well. The drastically decreasing trend of births
started in the late 1980s and stopped only just before the millennium stabilising
the current rate. While at the end of the 1980s the annual average rate of live
births was 15–16 per one thousand it dropped to less than 11 per one thousand.
The ratio of urban population is 54.8% of the total. The ratio of live births
decreased both in urban and rural environment by 8.9 and 12.3 per one thousand.
The ratio of internal migration is 12.3 heads per one thousand.
The Demographic Features of the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 61-66. p. Discussion Papers, Special
64
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE CARPATHIAN AREA
Table 15
Main demographic indicators of the Carpathian area (2004)
Territorial units
Number of live
Number of
Natural increase
births per 1000 deaths per 1000
or decrease
inhabitants
inhabitants
Austria
Mittelburgenland
7.8 11.6 –3.8
Nordburgenland 8.3
9.5
–1.2
Südburgenland
7.6 11.3 –3.7
Mostviertel-Eisenwurzen 10.6 8.7 1.9
Niederösterreich-Süd
9.4 10.4 –1.0
Sankt
Pölten
9.5 9.3 0.2
Waldviertel
8.8 10.8 –2.0
Weinviertel
8.2 11.5 –3.3
Wiener Umland/Nordteil
8.3
9.4
–1.1
Wiener Umland/Südteil
9.1
9.5
–0.4
Vienna
10.5 9.9 0.6
Czech
Jihomoravský
9.5 10.3 –0.8
Republic
Olomoucký
9.3 10.0 –0.7
Zlínský
8.8 10.1 –1.3
Moravskoslezský
9.4 10.4 –1.0
Hungary
Budapest
8.8 13.5 –4.7
Pest
10.5 11.7 –1.2
Komárom-Esztergom
9.4 13.2 –3.8
Győr-Moson-Sopron
9.2 12.1 –2.9
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
10.0 13.8 –3.8
Heves
9.0 13.7 –4.7
Nógrád
9.2 15.0 –5.8
Hajdú-Bihar
10.2 12.0 –1.8
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok
9.5 13.7 –4.2
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg 10.7 11.9 –1.2
Békés
8.1 14.4 –6.3
Csongrád
8.8 13.6 –4.8
Poland
Krakowsko-tarnowski
9.4 9.0 0.4
Nowosądecki
11.5 8.1 3.4
Miasto Kraków
8.1
8.9
–0.8
Częstochowski
8.2 10.7 –2.5
Bielsko-Bialski
9.4 8.8 0.6
Centralny Śląski
8.2 10.0 –1.8
Rybnicko-Jastrzebski
9.3 8.2 1.1
Rzeszowsko-Tarnobrzeski 9.8 8.1 1.7
Krośnieńsko-Przemyski
9.8 9.2 0.6
Świętokrzyski
8.7 10.3 –1.6
The Demographic Features of the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 61-66. p. Discussion Papers, Special
THE DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THE CARPATHIAN REGION
65
Count. Table 15
Territorial units
Number of live
Number of
Natural increase
births per 1000 deaths per 1000
or decrease
inhabitants
inhabitants
Romania
Bihor
10.3 13.7 –3.4
Bistriţa-Năsăud 10.8
10.5
0.3
Cluj
8.6 11.8 –3.2
Maramureş
11.0 11.2 –0.2
Satu
Mare
11.0 13.5 –2.5
Sălaj
10.4 14.5 –4.1
Alba
9.4 12.4 –3.0
Braşov 9.7
9.8
–0.1
Covasna 11.7
11.2
0.5
Harghita
11.1 11.5 –0.4
Mureş
11.0 12.3 –1.3
Sibiu 10.7
10.7
0.0
Bacău
10.8 10.9 –0.1
Neamţ
10.5 11.0 –0.5
Suceava 12.4
10.8
1.6
Buzău
9.5 13.0 –3.5
Vrancea
10.3 11.8 –1.5
Argeş
9.4 11.7 –2.3
Dâmboviţa
10.1 11.7 –1.6
Prahova
9.5 11.8 –2.3
Bucureşti 2.6
3.0
–0.4
Ilfov
15.3 18.9 –3.6
Gorj
9.5 11.4 –1.9
Mehedinţi
9.1 13.8 –4.7
Vâlcea
8.9 12.4 –3.5
Arad
9.2 14.2 –5.0
Caraş-Severin
9.8 13.6 –3.8
Hunedoara
8.8 12.5 –3.7
Timiş
9.4 12.0 –2.6
Slovakia Bratislavský
kraj
9.1
9.4
–0.3
Trnavský
kraj
9.0 10.0 –1.0
Trencianský kraj
8.4
9.5
–1.1
Nitrianský
kraj
8.3 10.7 –2.4
Zilinský
kraj
10.4 9.2 1.2
Banskobystrický
kraj
9.7 10.7 –1.0
Presovský
kraj
12.2 8.1 4.1
Kosický
kraj
11.8 9.6 2.2
The Demographic Features of the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 61-66. p. Discussion Papers, Special
66
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE CARPATHIAN AREA
Count. Table 15
Territorial units
Number of live
Number of
Natural increase
births per 1000 deaths per 1000
or decrease
inhabitants
inhabitants
Serbia
Grad
Beograd
9.8 12.6 –2.8
Central
Banat
8.7 17.0 –8.3
North
Banat
9.0 17.5 –8.5
South
Banat
9.8 15.2 –5.4
Podunavski
9.7 14.4 –4.7
Branicevski
8.8 17.0 –8.2
Pomoravski
9.0 17.2 –8.2
Borski
7.8 16.3 –8.5
Zajecarski 7.1
19.9
–12.8
Nisavski
9.4 14.8 –5.4
Ukraine Zakarpattia
Oblast 12.4
12.4
0.0
Lviv
Oblast
10.1 13.1 –3.0
Ivano-Frankivsk
Oblast
10.7 12.9 –2.2
Chernivtsi
Oblast
10.6 13.1 –2.5
Source: Eurostat; National Statistical Yearbooks.