Poland sees dramatic decline in births from 413,403 in 2010 to projected 230,000 in 2025, forcing hospital ward closures.
Declining Birth Rates and Ward Closures
The scale of the decline in births is significant. In 2010, there were 413,403 births, which dropped to 244,000 in 2024. From January to November 2025, 213,000 births were registered, with a projection of around 230,000 for the entire year. This has led to a reduction in the number of maternity wards. The count of maternity wards as separate addresses decreased from 406 in 2010 to 305 between January and November 2025.
During a meeting of the commission on perinatal safety, representatives of the National Health Fund (NFZ) presented the following data: suspensions of wards and closures of wards. The most closures were recorded in the voivodeships of Małopolskie and Wielkopolskie (4 each), Mazowieckie, Podkarpackie, and Śląskie (3 each). For suspensions, the dominant voivodeships were Wielkopolskie, Lubelskie, and Śląskie (4 each). In neonatology, 3 wards were closed in 2024, and 9 in 2025.
New Healthcare Services for Pregnant Women
The declining number of maternity wards has led to the introduction of a new service from January 31, 2026: care for pregnant and delivering women by a midwife in hospitals without a maternity ward. This service includes assessment of the woman’s condition, organization of immediate transport, and acceptance of the birth on-site in a dedicated room if the birth is too advanced, followed by transport of the mother and newborn to the target hospital.
Emergency rooms and admission departments are not places for planned births – their indication in the regulation results from organizational requirements, according to NFZ representatives.
Funding Changes and Financial Implications
The monthly lump sum for a hospital providing this service is 264,239 zł, which amounts to approximately 3.17 million zł annually. A hospital with 30 births per month receives approximately 360,000 zł monthly (12,000 zł per birth with care for the newborn). Reimbursement for births and newborn care increased from 932 million zł in 2016 to 1.127 billion zł in 2023 and 1.26 billion zł in 2024.
Staff Increases and Medical Practices
Between 2018 and 2025, the number of obstetricians-gynecologists increased by 34%, midwives by 29%, and anesthesiologists by 28%. The percentage of pain relief for childbirth increased from 3.3% in 2010 to 22.7% in 2025. The highest rates were recorded in Mazowieckie (52%), Małopolskie (38%), Łódzkie (33%), and Dolnośląskie (31%) voivodeships.
Meanwhile, the high rate of cesarean sections remains at around 50%, while the desired level is 15-20%.
Controversies Around Hospital Closures
NFZ representatives argue that many wards close because patients themselves choose to leave smaller, county hospitals in favor of higher-level referral centers. For example, in Lesko, only 74 children were born in mid-2025, and the ward generated a loss of half a million złoty monthly.
Opposition and social organizations disagree with this argument. Parliamentarians from Podkarpackie指出 that the situation in Bieszczady is dramatic – after the closure of wards in Sanok, Ustrzyki Dolne, and Lesko, the nearest maternity ward is in Krosno. Experts from foundations fear that the new service is merely an “emergency solution” that will not replace thoughtful demographic policy.